STARGAZERS are in for a treat this month as a rare planet parade falls in Andromeda galaxy season.
"One of the best planet parades in almost half a century" will seen Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus all light up the night sky alongside the Moon, according to the Royal Astronomical Society.
All four planets will be visible tonight, and over the coming weeks - if the cloud cover isn't too thick.
Although be cautious not to miss it - Saturn will be fairly low on the horizon and will set at approximately 7:50pm GMT tonight.
Saturn will continue to set earlier, and earlier as the month goes on.
The planets are gearing up for an even rarer planetary alignment later this month.
For one night only, all seven other planets in the Solar System will align in the night sky at the same time on 28 February.
Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Saturn and Mercury will be strung across the sky in an arc shape.
It's worth noting only five planets, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and Mercury, will be visible to the naked eye.
Uranus and Neptune are never visible to the naked eye, as they are simply too far away from Earth.
These rare planetary alignments just so happen to occur in February, which is largely viewed as 'galaxy season' in the Northern Hemisphere.
Stargazers will have the chance to see the Andromeda galaxy, our closest galactic neighbour 2.5million light-years away, in all its glory.
The Andromeda galaxy is one of the most distant objects that can be seen with the naked eye - due to its sheer size.
It is home to roughly one trillion stars, which make it visible to Earth when the viewing conditions are right.
The long, dark winter nights provide the best viewing conditions for capturing Andromeda, which is about twice the size of the Milky Way.
Planets are constantly moving, which means their paths occasionally cross into an alignment in Earth's sky.
Dr Dan Brown, an astronomy expert here at Nottingham Trent University, explained to The Sun: "All planets including Earth move in more or less the same plane in our solar system.
"So that from our perspective the planets are always very close to the apparent path of the Sun in the sky also known as the ecliptic.
"This means they will always be along this line.
";You could compare it with cars on a straight road.
"Since they can only drive on the road they will always be found along the road in more or less a line.
"What varies is how close they are to each other and when we can see them."
Firstly, check when the planets will set to avoid missing the show.
Stargazers should head to a location well away from the city lights, the glow of a town, and even that of street lamps.
Light pollution can make planets - which appear like stars in the sky - harder to spot.
Make sure that your star gazing spot has an unobstructed view of the horizon and above.
Away from treelines or cityscapes is best - as some planets, like Saturn, sit low on the horizon.
To catch the Andromeda galaxy before the clocks spring forward in March, and the constellations shift again, you'll need to be patient.
Let your eyes adjust to the dark – this can take up to 15 minutes, and means you'll have to avoid looking at your phone in the meantime.
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