A good view of the horizon and clear skies will offer the best chance of spotting them all. However, the window to see all seven planets will be very brief/SCREENGRAB
Skywatchers are in for a treat this week as seven planets - Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury, and Saturn will all be briefly visible in the evening sky.
This phenomenon, known as a 'planetary parade' is a rare sight, and it will be the last time seven planets can be seen simultaneously so well until 2040.
The best chance to see as many planets as possible will be just after sunset on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Four of the planets—Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars—will be visible to the naked eye. Saturn will be harder to see because it will be low in the horizon. You will need a telescope to spot the other two planets, Uranus and Neptune.
A good view of the horizon and clear skies will offer the best chance of spotting them all. However, the window to see all seven planets will be very brief.
Dr Edward Bloomer, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich said: "There's a rare opportunity to have seven planets in essentially a convenient place for you to look for them."
As the sun sets, Saturn and Mercury will also be setting, making them particularly difficult to see.
"You really only have a few minutes after sunset to catch them before they drop below the horizon. After that, you'll still be able to see Venus, Jupiter, and Mars clearly for a much longer time," Dr Bloomer added.
The planets in our solar system orbit the Sun within roughly the same flat plane as the Earth.
As they orbit at different speeds and distances from the Sun, there are moments when they appear to line up from Earth's perspective creating a spectacular visual display, although the planets remain separated by vast distances in space.
Venus and Jupiter will be the easiest to spot due to their brightness, while Mars will have a distinct reddish hue.
Whilst the weather is still rather unsettled currently, clearer and calmer conditions are expected to develop later in the week.
Tuesday evening will start with clear spells, but cloud and rain will move in from the west later.
On Wednesday night, skies will be generally cloudier with showery rain at times.
By Thursday, expect a drier, clearer view of the night sky. Earlier in the evening is best, as mist and fog patches may develop further into the night.
For Friday high pressure is expected to dominate, keeping dry conditions for most with clear spells. Soon after sunset is most favoured as mist and fog patches may develop later.
