Rare six-planet parade to appear in night sky. Will it be visible in Merced?
Six planets will soon march across the California night sky.
The rare planet parade will appear right before the calendars turn to March, according to NASA.
What’s the best time to view the planetary alignment — and will it be visible in Merced?
Here’s what to know:
When will planet parade appear in the night sky?
While planets are technically always aligned along the ecliptic plane, so-called “planet parades” offer a “special” chance to see several heavenly bodies at the same time, NASA said.
You’ll be able to see Mercury, Venus, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Jupiter shortly after sunset on Saturday, Feb. 28, according to the space agency.
“Four of those planets will be visible to the unaided eye, weather permitting,” NASA said.
The planets “don’t cluster in one place — they stretch across the sky,” astronomy app StarWalk said on its website.
The best viewing window starts about 30 minutes after sunset, according to StarWalk.
The sun will set at 5:55 p.m. in Merced on Saturday, according to online clock Time and Date.
Which planets can I see without a telescope?
While Venus, Saturn and Jupiter should be visible to the naked eye on Saturday, you’ll need a telescope to view Uranus and Neptune because of their distances from Earth, NASA said.
“Mercury can sometimes be harder to spot, too,” due to its proximity to the sun, the space agency said.
“On most nights, weather permitting, you can spot at least one bright planet in the night sky,” NASA public engagement specialist Preston Dyches wrote in February 2025. “While two or three planets are commonly visible in the hours around sunset, occasionally four or five bright planets can be seen simultaneously with the naked eye.”
Those four- or five-planet lineups “typically occur every few years,” NASA said.
The next opportunity to witness this many planets at once won’t come until October 2028.
Will planetary alignment be visible in Merced?
If you’re hoping to get a glimpse of the planet parade in the Merced area, you may be out of luck.
Merced residents can expect mostly cloudy skies on Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service’s latest seven-day forecast.
What’s in the weather forecast for Merced?
Merced could experience less-than-clear skies for the next few days, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather service issued a dense fog advisory for cities including Merced and Fresno that will remain in effect through 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 27.
Visibility could drop to “one quarter mile or less in dense fog,” the weather service said in its advisory, making “driving conditions hazardous” on local roads.
Merced will be partly sunny on Friday with a high temperature close to 73 degrees before the clouds roll in at night, dropping the temperature to 56 degrees.
Saturday will also be partly sunny with a high near 76 and an overnight low around 55 degrees.
More clouds are expected Sunday, when there’s a 20% chance of rain after 10 p.m. The high will near 68, and the overnight low will be around 49 degrees.
This story was originally published February 27, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Rare six-planet parade to appear in night sky. Will it be visible in Merced?."
