February 25, 2026: The widely promoted planet parade overstates what is visible. See which planets can truly be observed in late February’s evening sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:32 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:36 p.m. CST. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Planet Parade Visibiliity
Comments regarding the widely promoted “planet parade” over the next three evenings suggest that many descriptions overstate what observers will actually see — especially for the western planets: Venus, Mercury, Saturn, and Neptune.
Venus is easily visible in bright twilight. Mercury and Neptune, however, are largely washed out by evening light, and Mercury fades in brightness by 20% each night. Saturn’s visibility depends on sky clarity and an observer’s ability to locate the Ringed Wonder through twilight. With a waxing moon, Uranus may be visible through a binocular near the Pleiades after twilight ends and Venus has set.
Jupiter shines brightly nearly all night, beginning the evening high in the east-southeast. In practical terms, the reliably visible planets are Venus — low in twilight — and bright Jupiter later in the evening. Saturn and Uranus are possible. The others are effectively lost in glare. Expectations of a graceful arc of bright planets stretching from sunset to the eastern sky will likely go unmet.
All Major Bodies During Daytime
For perspective, all the classical planets — including Pluto — are in the sky today at 2 p.m. They are simply not visible because of the sun, except for the slightly gibbous moon in the east. In order from west to east: Pluto, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus, Moon, and Jupiter.
That is, technically, a complete lineup of the solar system’s major bodies — including the classic ninth planet. Visibility, however, is another matter entirely.
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