How and when you can watch the planetary parade today

GenevaWith March comes spring, which this year is accompanied by two partial eclipses that can be observed from all over Catalonia. Likewise, the alignment of planets or planetary parade that began at the beginning of the year will be with us for a few more weeks. In fact, this February 28, from seven in the evening, is the best day to see the planetary parade. With the naked eye, on the horizon, you can see Jupiter, Venus and Mars. These three planets will be visible with the naked eye. But if we have the help of binoculars or a telescope we can also find Uranus, with a blueish colour, and Neptune, although much lower in the sky. To observe them it is best to find a place far from cities, with little light pollution. It must be taken into account that this is an extraordinary phenomenon: the seven planets will not be able to be seen in the same way again until four centuries from now, specifically, until the year 2492.

During March we will still be able to enjoy seeing some of the planets of the Solar System during the early hours of the evening and night. Although Saturn will not be visible until May, Jupiter, Venus and Mars will still shine brightly in the night sky. Venus will be found, as usual, at sunset, although it will no longer be visible from the second half of the month. Jupiter, for its part, will still shine brightly during the early hours of the night in the constellation of Taurus. Little by little, the light of the night will embrace it. Finally, Mars will be visible from early afternoon as an orange dot crossing the constellation of Gemini. Uranus and Neptune can still be seen with a telescope.

Two partial eclipses visible throughout Catalonia

This month is notable for offering us two eclipses in just two weeks. On March 14, there will be a lunar eclipse early in the morning. On the other hand, on the 28th, there will be a solar eclipse around midday. Both eclipses will be partial, but they will be visible from all over Catalonia.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the Moon and the Sun. If the alignment is precise enough, the shadow of our planet is projected onto the surface of the satellite, darkening it until it becomes disappearHowever, when the eclipse is partial, the Moon takes on a reddish color. This is due to the penumbra projected by our planet's atmosphere onto the satellite.

On the other hand, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon comes between the Earth and the star, so that the satellite's shadow is projected onto the surface of our planet. This occultation of the Sun causes the amount of light received by the Earth to be reduced partially (when only a fraction of the Sun is covered) or totally (when the surface of the Sun is completely hidden behind the lunar circle).

Eclipses of this type occur because the Moon is relatively large in relation to the size of the planet it orbits, especially when compared to the size of the other satellites in the Solar System. One of the aspects that seems most coincidental is that the apparent sizes of the Moon and the Sun, as seen from Earth, are so similar. This is an exceptional fact that does not occur on other planets and which translates into the possibility of witnessing magnificent total eclipses.

Although we will be able to see the eclipses from all over the country, it will be in the Western Strip where the fraction covered by their respective shadows will be most significant.

Partial lunar eclipse

The eclipse will begin a few minutes before five in the morning on the 14th and will reach its maximum shortly after seven in the morning. In a large part of the country, the shadow of the Earth will cover more than 60% of the surface of the Moon. In the regions of Lleida and Tarragona this figure will reach almost 80%. No special protection is necessary to observe this eclipse.

Partial solar eclipse

The Moon will begin to pass in front of the Sun at around 11 a.m. on March 29, reaching its maximum about ten minutes before noon. Once again, the most noticeable effect will be observed from the western regions, since our satellite will hide about 16% of the solar disk.

Total solar eclipse in summer 2026

Although partial solar eclipses are relatively common, total eclipses occur less frequently. However, August 12, 2026 will offer us the chance to witness a magnificent total solar eclipse that will be visible from the south of Catalonia and the Valencian Community.