KARACHI: The lawns of the PIA Planetarium were turned into an amateur observatory as young and old alike huddled around telescopes to catch a glimpse of four celestial bodies, on Sunday.

The ‘Planets Parade’ activity — organised by the Karachi Astronomers Society (KAS) — saw over 200 people queuing up to witness the planetary alignment that everyone has been talking about for a few weeks now.

Although Venus, Jupiter and Mars could be seen with the naked eye, conditions were not ripe to spot the many-ringed Saturn in the hazy Karachi sky.

The oragnisers explained that the planets in our solar system orbit in a two-dimensional plane known as an elliptical. Every once in a while, these celestial bodies line up so that several of them are visible simultaneously in the night sky, in close proximity to each other.

On Sunday night, the moon and Venus posed close together, while Jupiter and Mars were visible at the zenith of the night sky. Neptune and Uranus — although part of the planetary alignment phenomenon — can only be seen through high-powered telescopes, and in the absence of ambient city light.

The public activity was virtually free of cost, with visitors only having to pay the price of admission. KAS volunteers played the role of science communicators as they guided curious Karachiites peering through telescopes into the sky.

Avid stargazers should keep their eyes peeled on Feb 28, 2025, when all seven planets will huddle together for an unforgettable sight.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2025