A parade of planets will be visible to skywatchers around the globe through the rest of this month and into February. At least four planets — Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn — should be visible with the naked eye if you’re not in a light-polluted downtown area.

The best planetary alignment of the year is underway, with Saturn, Venus, Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter and Mars stretching across the night sky. Winter can be the most challenging time of the year for stargazing since it is frequently cloudy or bitterly cold across North America.