When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.Planets shine like stars in the evening sky. | Credit: Alan Dyer/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesJupiter, Saturn, Venus, Neptune, Uranus and Mercury are staring in a “planetary parade” this week, but your ability to actually spot them will depend on preparation, equipment and, as always, a spot of luck with the weather.Most of this week’s naked-eye planetary action will take place low in the western sky, which is where the aforementioned preparation comes in. Be sure to stake out a raised location with a clear view of the horizon well ahead of time — you can use a smartphone stargazing app to figure out exactly where the planets will be in your local environment, so there’s no need to guess.AdvertisementAdvertisementDo so, and you’ll be granted a rare, if challenging opportunity to spot Mercury shining 10 degrees — roughly the width of your clenched fist held at arm’s length — above the late winter skyline, with Venus close to its left, floundering in the glow of the setting sun. Saturn, meanwhile, will glow less than 10 degrees to the upper left of Venus, with a distant cousin lurking nearby, but more on that later.Mercury and Venus will follow the sun out of sight roughly an hour after sunset, briefly becoming more visible as the sky darkens and they grow closer to the horizon. Jupiter, meanwhile, will shine high in the eastern sky, with the waxing gibbous moon below, obscuring the stars of the constellation Cancer with its reflected light.The next two planets will need a little added magnification to spot — and even then, you’ll have the odds stacked against you.The evening sky looking west on Feb. 28. | Credit: Created by Anthony Wood in CanvaThe ice giant Neptune will be positioned two degrees to the right of Saturn, but will be too dim to spot with the u …
