Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are the five brightest planets in the Solar System. These five planets revolve around the Sun with different periods. They all appear to move closely along the ecliptic as seen from the Earth.

When the five planets move to the same side of the Sun, they can be observed at the same time from the Earth. This phenomenon is known as the "Parade of the five planets". The "Parade of the five planets" occurs irregularly and the configuration of the five planets for each parade is different.

Related links:
- The Observatory's Blog article in 2015 "Parade of the Five Planets in Celebration of the Chinese New Year"
- The Observatory's Blog article in 2022 "Parade of the Planets"