Astute skywatchers may have seen the spectacular line of planets across the night sky in January. This week, Mercury joins the queue. If you know where to look, you can now see every other planet in our solar system among the stars at once.
According to Gerard van Belle, director of science at Arizona's Lowell Observatory, a seven-planet alignment is neither mystical nor unusual.
"On the scale of supermoon to death asteroid, this is more a supermoon sort of thing," according to Dr. van Belle. Nonetheless, the "planetary parade," as the event is informally known, "makes for a very nice excuse to go outside at night, maybe with a glass of wine, and enjoy the night sky."
Why are the planets aligned?
When planets are visible in the night sky, they always appear in nearly the same line. This path, known as the ecliptic, is the same one that the sun follows during the day.
This occurs because the planets orbit the sun on the same plane. Dr. van Belle compared the configuration to a vinyl record, with the sun in the middle and the grooves representing the orbits of the planets around it.
So our view from Earth is along one of those grooves, "looking out along the platter," he explained. This week, the planets are arranged in such a way that they will all be visible in the sky at dusk from almost anywhere on Earth.
Saturn will disappear below the horizon and into the daytime skies at the end of the month, bringing the seven-planet procession to a conclusion. However, stargazers will have another opportunity to observe a planetary alignment in August, when several of our celestial companions will be visible in the morning sky.
How can I see the parade?
Only a few of the planets can be viewed with the naked eye, and the optimum evening to see them all may differ by location. Astronomers propose utilizing software such as Stellarium to determine when and where to look.
To watch the procession, choose a dark location with a clear view of the western horizon at night. Mercury and Saturn will be low in the sky, brushing past one other in the waning light of the evening sun, making them difficult to see.
Trace your line of sight higher to discover Venus, the brightest planet in the sky.
"Venus, you cannot miss," remarked Thomas Willmitch, director of Illinois State University's Planetarium. "You could be in a haze under streetlights, and there's Venus, shining like a beacon to the west."
Even higher up, practically directly overhead, Jupiter will shine at approximately one-tenth the brightness of Venus.
The series of planets concludes in the eastern sky with Mars, which is identifiable due to its pinkish hue. The planet is a few weeks after a near encounter with Earth, so it appears larger than normal. According to Mr. Willmitch, the proximity has also given the Red Planet a golden tinge.
The remaining two planets are too far away to sight without binoculars or a telescope. Mr. Willmitch stated Uranus is roughly two fists west of Jupiter, and Neptune is hidden between Venus and the western horizon.
Even if you can't catch them all, Mr. Willmitch recommends bundling up and gazing up nevertheless. "The sky is really beautiful in winter," he told me. "It's a great time to go out and do some stargazing."
0 Comments