Rare planet parade to light up the sky on January 18

A spectacular celestial event will take place on January 18, as Earth’s skies will witness a rare "planet parade." This thrilling race in space will feature Venus and Saturn, with Saturn eventually overtaking Venus. The grand conjunction of these two planets will occur on that date.

In the eastern sky, Mars will be visible, while the bright Jupiter will shine slightly above. The event will be visible across India and Odisha, provided the skies are clear, and it poses no harm to viewers.

Throughout January, four planets will be observable to the naked eye after sunset, moving from east to west as night falls. By 8:30 PM, Venus and Saturn will set first. The highlight will be the conjunction of Venus and Saturn, where they will appear remarkably close for about two hours, before Saturn moves lower and farther away.

A planetary parade occurs when multiple planets appear in the sky together, a phenomenon that happens each year with four planets visible for a few days. Five-planet parades occur once every 19 years, and all eight planets align only once every 170 years. Don’t miss this stunning event in the night sky!