Rare Planet Alignment in April and May

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Rare Planet Alignment in April and May

 

By Joe Rao

posted: 07:00 am ET

02 April 2002

 

Ancient readings

 

Ancient people probably took note of the fact that the planets,

resembling bright stars, had the freedom to wander in the heavens,

while the other "fixed" stars remained rooted in their positions.

This ability to move seemed to have an almost magical, god-like

quality.

 

It's no wonder the planets came to be associated with the gods.

Evidence 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 at all, it was to

inform those who could read celestial signs what fate held in store.

Indeed, even to this day, there are those who firmly believe that

the changing positions of the Sun, Moon and planets can have a

decided effect on the destinies of individuals and nations on the

Earth.

 

But is there any chance that the impending planet lineup might have

any influence on our lives in any way?

 

"Forget it," says Michael Shara, an astrophysicist at New York's

Rose Center for Earth and Space. "No astrologer can predict from

planetary alignments or any other celestial configuration when a

specific event, good or bad, will occur on Earth."

 

 

Several planets are assembling toward a rare alignment later this

month, when five of them will crowd into a patch of sky small enough

that all will be visible in a single glance. The setup will provide

a planet-watching opportunity that won't be repeated for a century.

 

Even now, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn form a nearly straight line in

the west each night. By late April, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn

will all bunch up in the western sky just after sunset, with bright

Jupiter also nearby.

 

Three of the planets -- Venus, Saturn and Mars -- will crowd into an

even smaller patch of sky in early May.

 

The five-planet array is a "standout" of the 21st Century, says

Robert C. Victor, an astronomer who volunteers at the Abrams

Planetarium of Michigan State University and has specialized in

predicting and observing unusual configurations of the planets for

nearly four decades.

 

Victor said there will be only three other chances in the coming 100

years to see five planets so tightly grouped, in September 2040,

July 2060, and November 2100.

 

"But the groupings of 2040 and 2100 will have some of the planets

barely above the horizon as darkness is falling, so viewers will

likely have to resort to using binoculars," Victor said. "None of

these three groupings will be as accessible to casual skywatchers as

the upcoming spectacular gathering in late April and early May."

 

Anyone with a clear view of the western sky will be able to observe

the events as they unfold, night after night, with no equipment

required.

 

How it works

 

A wide variety of different conjunctions and configurations

involving the planets typically occur during the course of any given

year. It is highly unusual, however, when three or more bright

planets appear to reside in the same small area of the sky.

 

>From our Earthly vantage point and during much of the year, we can

readily observe Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn with our

unaided eyes as they revolve around the Sun. Each of these planets

appears to move against the starry background at their own speeds

and along their own tracks.

 

Because they move at different speeds and at varying distances from

the Sun, the positions of all five planets at any particular time is

unique to that particular moment.

 

All of these naked eye planets -- and the Moon as well -- closely

follow an imaginary line in the sky called the ecliptic, an

important reference point in many respects for astronomers and

skywatchers.

 

The ecliptic is the apparent path that the Sun appears to take

through the sky, over the course of the year, as a result of the

Earth's revolution around it. Technically, the ecliptic represents

the extension or projection of the plane of the Earth's orbit out

towards the sky. But since the Moon and planets move in similar

planes, these bodies, when visible in our sky, always stay

relatively close to the ecliptic line.

 

Twelve of the constellations through which the ecliptic passes form

the Zodiac; their names, which can be readily identified on standard

star charts, are familiar to millions of horoscope users who would

be hard pressed to find them in the actual sky.

 

Astronomical amnesia

 

Some people have suggested that the combined gravity of various

planets lined up could tug at Earth and create colossal tides or

even earthquakes. Scientists say there is no basis for this.

 

In May 2000, a similar planet line-up occurred. In its advance,

there were numerous astrological predictions of earthquakes, floods,

wars and other disasters. Despite all the ballyhoo, absolutely

nothing abnormal or unexpected happened that was in any way tied to

the alignment, scientists say.

 

"The planets in the night sky are always shifting in and out of

celestial liaisons," says Ed Krupp, Director of the Griffith

Observatory in Los Angeles. "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 magical

thinking attributed to the previous event ever materialized."

 

 

Victor, of the Abrams Planetarium, suggests even the most casual

skywatchers make a concerted effort to go out and look up this

spring, since planet gatherings will be few and far between in the

next few years.

 

The most compact gathering of Venus, Mars and Saturn that will be

visible in the western evening sky from May 3-10 this year is just

one of only five such planet trios easily visible in a dark sky

between the years 1980 and 2050. The best view, he says, will be

during the evenings of May 5th and 6th, when these three planets

form an eye-catching compact triangle.

 

The next time a tight planet trio will be seen in a dark sky will be

in early August 2010, again involving Venus, Mars and Saturn.