How to spot rare parade of six planets over the Netherlands this week
By
Simone Jacobs
Olivia Logan
A rare astronomical event is set to grace the skies this week. Six planets in the solar system will line up and can be seen from the Netherlands. Here’s what you need to know about how to spot the planet parade and when it is taking place.
Planet parade to appear over the Netherlands
A planetary parade will make the late winter night sky extra magical this week. Six planets will be visible in the evening sky: Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, Neptune, Mercury and Venus.
According to BBC Sky at Night, all the planets are visible from mid-February, but the evenings of February 28 and March 1 will provide the best chance to spot all of them at once in the Netherlands.
The planets are simultaneously visible because they are all currently on the same side of the sun. Mars, however, is currently very close to the sun, so it is not visible in the night sky.
How to see the 2026 planetary parade in the Netherlands
To catch a glimpse of this rare cosmic alignment, you'll need to be quick. The planetary parade is at its most visible in the 30 or so minutes after sunset, which currently occurs at around 6.12pm in the Netherlands.
If the weather is clear, you should be able to see the moon in the west, with Jupiter slightly to its right. Uranus will be parallel and in the centre of your view, while Saturn, Neptune, Mercury and Venus will appear in the southeast of the sky.
Jupiter and Venus are the easiest to spot with the naked eye, while Mercury and Saturn will appear fainter in the twilight. Binoculars might be necessary to spot Uranus, and Neptune is only visible with a telescope, so extreme caution is advised when looking near the horizon.
Heading to a dark place away from the bright lights of cities, with an unobstructed view of the horizon, such as a national park, will give you the best chance of seeing the parade of six planets. According to Weeronline’s weather forecast for the week, it will be cloudy, with the chance of some rain showers, so it might be more difficult to get a clear view at times.
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training.Read more
Editor for Germany at IamExpat Media. Olivia first came to Germany in 2013 to work as an Au Pair. Since studying English Literature and German in Scotland, Freiburg and Berlin she has worked as a features journalist and news editor.Read more