A rare alignment of six planets—Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—is currently visible, offering a breathtaking view for stargazers, said Prof. Chandana Jayaratne, Director of the Astronomy and Space Science Unit at Colombo University and Chairman of the Arthur C. Clarke Institute.

Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars can be seen with the naked eye, while Uranus and Neptune require a telescope for viewing.

This celestial event is best observed within 90 minutes after sunset until 29th of January and can continue to be seen up to mid-February.

Prof. Jayaratne advised looking along an imaginary line from west to east to spot the planets, which appear in an arc but are not actually aligned in space.

Starting in the west, Venus is the brightest, with Saturn below it. Following an upward line from Saturn, Jupiter appears high in the sky.

Mars, glowing red, is visible to the east and is especially bright in January as it is opposite the sun from Earth’s perspective.

Using a telescope, Neptune can be spotted glowing blue above and south of Venus, while Uranus can be found west of Jupiter, Prof. Jayaratne explained.