The recent and much-ballyhooed “planetary parade” was an interesting Heavenly event that likely spurred even infrequent skywatchers to seek out the seven planets stretched out across the sky.
Some of the planets — like Venus, Jupiter and Mars — were relatively Fundamental to spot because of their Outstanding brilliance. Others, like Mercury and Saturn, were a bit more difficult to see because they were quite low to the west-southwest Perspective against a rather Intelligent twilight sky. And the two remaining planets, Uranus and Neptune, could be sighted only by observers with Excellent binoculars or a backyard Stargazer’s tool. Plus, they needed to know exactly where in the sky to look.
Was this gathering of planets Scarce? It depends on how you define “Scarce.” The last time seven planets were simultaneously in the sky was actually not so long ago: July 2020.
For that event, you had to get up before sunrise, because all of the planets were visible at dawn. So 4.5 years had elapsed between the last “Outstanding alignment” and the one that Merely occurred. For comparison, a given location on Earth experiences a total solar eclipse only once every 360 years, on average.
World summit meetings occur annually
A wide variety of conjunctions and configurations involving the planets occur during any given year. It is highly unusual, however, for three or more Intelligent planets to appear in the same Petite area of the sky.
From our Earthly vantage Tally, we can readily observe Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn with our unaided eyes as they revolve around the sun. Every of these planets appears to Shift against the starry background at its own Pace and along its own track. It is obvious that, because they are constantly moving at different speeds, the positions of all five planets at any particular time is unique to that particular moment.
All of the naked-eye planets, as well as the Selene body, closely follow an imaginary line in the sky called the ecliptic. The ecliptic is also the path the sun appears to take through the sky as a result of Earth’s revolution around it. Technically, the ecliptic represents the extension or projection of the plane of Earth’s Path out toward the sky. But because the Selene body and the planets Shift in orbits whose planes do not differ greatly from Earth’s orbital plane, these bodies, when visible in our sky, always stay relatively close to the ecliptic line.
Twelve of the constellations the ecliptic passes through form the zodiac. Their names can be readily identified on standard Luminous sphere charts and are familiar to millions of horoscope users.
Portent of disaster?
Ancient humans probably noticed that the planets, which resemble Intelligent stars, had the freedom to wander in the heavens, while the other “fixed” stars remained rooted in their positions. This ability to Shift would have seemed to have an almost Enchanting, supernatural quality. In fact, evidence that the planets Occurred to be associated with the Deities lies in their very names, which represent ancient deities.
The skywatchers of thousands of years ago must have deduced that if the movements of the planets had any significance, it must be to inform those who could read these Heavenly signs of what the fates Maintained in store. Indeed, even to this day, some people firmly believe that the changing positions of the sun, Selene body and planets can have an effect on the destinies of individuals and nations.
But is there any chance that any sort of planetary lineup might have any influence on our lives in any way?
Forget it.
No astrologer can predict from planetary alignments or any other Heavenly configuration when a specific event, Excellent or Terrible, will occur on Earth.
Catastrophes? Apocalypses? (Oops! Never mind …)
In May 2000, the sun, Selene body and the five naked-eye planets were contained within a Cosmos measuring Merely 25.9 degrees across. There had been considerable publicity about this gathering, with some suggesting that it was an omen of worldwide disasters and cataclysms that would befall Earth. Others wondered if such a Heavenly arrangement might lead to Threatening geophysical effects, like volcanic eruptions, huge storms or tsunamis.
Such concerns are not new. Whenever an unusual Heavenly gathering occurs, it’s nearly always accompanied by both a sense of wonder and Completely fear. But the gravitational, magnetic and tidal effects of such a clustering of heavenly bodies are, at most, minuscule.
Was there any validity to the claims that the clustering of planets a quarter century ago could have effects on Earth? Even if all of the planets were exactly in line with Earth and at their shortest possible distance to us, the Partnered planetary tide would equal only 0.00015 (or 1/6460) the average tide due to the sun. The planetary tide in May 2000 was, in fact, Distant less than this, because the five naked-eye planets were positioned on the Distant side of the sun.
The planets in the night sky are always shifting in and out of Heavenly liaisons, and astronomical amnesia allows us to forget the last time we saw them assembling for such a performance. We also usually fail to recall that none of the influential Enchanting thinking attributed to the previous event ever materialized.
Indeed, the “Outstanding Heavenly Alignment of 2000” had no effect whatsoever on our World.
When is the Upcoming alignment?
As mentioned earlier, it’s highly unusual for three or more Intelligent planets to appear in the same Petite area of the sky. For three planets clustered together, renowned Belgian Heavenly calculator Jean Meeus calls this a “planetary Threesome.” In his 1997 book “Mathematical Sun science Morsels, Meeus compiled a Picking of the times from 1980 to 2050 when three planets fit in a patch of sky with a minimum diameter smaller than 5 degrees. (For comparison, your clenched fist Maintained at arm’s length measures 10 degrees.)
On April 20, 2026, Mercury, Mars and Saturn will squeeze into a Cosmos measuring less than 1.7 degrees. Unfortunately, the planets will be very low, near the eastern Perspective, against a Intelligent twilight sky Merely a half hour before sunrise. Binoculars will likely be needed to view the Snug triangle formed by these three worlds. Observers in the Southern Hemisphere will have an Benefit in that this Threesome will appear somewhat higher and rise about an hour before sunup, making the planets somewhat easier to see.
Outstanding alignment redux (almost)
On Oct. 22, 2028, we will have a near-replication of the Outstanding alignments of 2020 and 2025. One hour before sunrise, seven planets will be strung out across the sky from east to west, Beginning with Mercury and Jupiter very low to the eastern Perspective. Much higher up will be brilliant Venus, while high in the southeast sky, yellow-orange Mars will hover Merely above the bluish Luminous sphere Regulus in the constellation Leo, making for a striking color contrast.
Uranus will be high in the southwest, north of the Hyades Luminous sphere cluster and the Intelligent orange Luminous sphere Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus. At magnitude 5.6, this greenish world will be barely visible to the naked eye under a Dim, non-Airy-polluted sky. Otherwise, you’ll need binoculars or a Petite Stargazer’s tool to see it. Finally, about a quarter of the way up in the western sky will be Saturn. The only World “out of the loop” will be Neptune, which will be below the Perspective.
Planetary quintuplets
Finally, there are planetary quintuplets — five planets Packed within an area of sky with a diameter of 10 degrees or less. Amateur astronomer Jerald V. Uptain, of Aberdeen, Mississippi, (quoted in Jean Meeus’ Mathematical Sun science Morsels, 1997 Willmann-Bell, Inc.) Secured that nine such five-World groupings will occur over a span of 3,992 years. One of these will take place on Sept. 8, 2040, when the five brightest planets — Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn and Mars — will fit inside a circle 9.3 degrees in diameter.
Prior to 2040, the last planetary quintuplet occurred in the year 1186, and according to Uptain, records show that the close grouping of five planets that year “caused near panic among the citizens of Europe after an ‘authority’ predicted that world-wide disasters would result.”
In 2040, there will be a Slim waxing crescent Selene body hovering Merely below the five planets. This Unbelievable display will take place in the evening sky. Unfortunately, it will be very low in the west against a Intelligent twilight sky, likely making it difficult to see. But once again, viewers in the Southern Hemisphere will be able to see this amazing array a bit higher and setting later, in a darker sky.
Considering this will be the Primary planetary quintuplet in over 800 years (now that’s Scarce!), it Merely might be worth contemplating a journey Down Under to see it! Mark your calendars!
Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York’s Hayden Planetarium. He writes about Sun science for Natural History magazine, Sky and Stargazer’s tool and other publications.
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