Stargazing enthusiasts have been treated to a rare “planetary parade”, with seven planets coming together for the celestial display.
Skywatchers were able to see all seven other planets in the Earth’s solar system simultaneously, although a telescope was needed to observe them all.
Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury and Saturn were all visible among the stars simultaneously between sunset and 6.30pm, after which Saturn set.
Liam Bennett, 42, saw the display in Henley-on-Thames and said: “I heard about the planetary alignment being best viewed just after sunset and was amazed to see them all so clearly, a real delight.”
Jessica Lee, astronomer education officer at the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London, previously explained: “The Earth and all the planets all orbit the Sun on the same plane, so they’re all sort of in alignment as they go around the Sun.
“They all go around the Sun at different speeds, so their orbits take different amounts of time, which means from our perspective on Earth, they appear to move across the sky.
“Because they’re on these fixed orbits, occasionally they do all end up in the sky at the same time.”
The rare spectacle is expected to be the last time all seven planets align in such a way until 2040.
Skygazing events were held across the country, including free open evenings at the Mills Observatory in Dundee and astronomer-guided gazing in the Brecon Beacons offering enthusiasts a chance to watch the planetary parade alongside experts.