It says to see Neptune a telescope is absolutely necessary, while Uranus, although technically bright enough to detect with good eyesight, is "quite faint and requires dark skies and precise knowledge of its location among similarly faint stars", so a telescope is recommended.
The phenomenon will see Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Mercury align, with some of the planets visible to the naked eye.
"Planetary alignments, where multiple planets appear close together in the sky, occur periodically but are relatively rare," Dr Shyam Balaji, researcher in astroparticle physics and cosmology at King's College London, said last month.
Keen astronomers may have already spotted six of the planets in late January or sky earlier this month, but on 28 February, Mercury will also join the parade.
It means that those looking into the skies on Friday will be less affected by light pollution from the moon, and may even be able to get a good look at some galaxies, the Greenwich Royal Observatory says.
