Mars and Venus Align in Rare Astronomical Event that Will Not Be Seen Again Until 2038

This evening, the sky will offer a rare astronomical spectacle as the planets Mars and Venus align with Mercury and the Sun along a single line. The phenomenon is occurring for the first time in nearly six years, and will not happen again until 2038.

Astronomers in Varna have described the event as unique. Ivan Ivanov from the Varna Observatory explained:

“This phenomenon is observed when some of the planets appear relatively close to one another in the sky,” said astronomer Ivan Ivanov.

“At the moment, three of the planets — Mercury, Venus and Mars — are gathering around the Sun. In practice, however, this cannot be observed from Earth, as the Sun is extremely bright,” he added.

Ivanov also outlined which other planets will be visible tonight:

“In the evening, Saturn can be seen in the west. Slightly higher up are Uranus and Neptune, though they will be low on the horizon. After 10pm, Jupiter will be clearly visible — it is currently in the constellation of Gemini. The Moon will also appear later, already waning after reaching its peak phase.”

The astronomer stressed that although the planets appear close together in the sky, they are in fact separated by vast distances, making the visible ‘gathering’ a rare and remarkable illusion.