ALIGNMENT OF THE PLANETS. Until June 27 before dawn, all the planets of the solar system are visible in the sky in their order of distance from the Sun. At what time and how to observe Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune “aligned”?
[Mis à jour le 24 juin 2022 à 19h46] Until Monday, June 27, 2022, a cosmic spectacle awaits space enthusiasts, but you have to be able to get up early, a few hours before sunrise. Sun. At dawn, all the planets of our solar system are observable in the sky in the order of the distance that separates them from the Sun, grouped together not far from theecliptic : this is the great “parade” of the planets. But be careful, it is not an alignment of the planets along the ecliptic, but the gathering of the planets and the Moon in the same area of the sky.
If Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn are visible to the naked eye, Neptune and Uranus, the two ice giants, require a telescope or binoculars because they are much less luminous than the other planets. “What we see above all are Venus and Jupiter. These will be the brightest objects we will see in the sky, it is obvious, “explains Olivier Las Vergnas, president of the French Association of Astronomy, to BFMTV. Such an event took place for the last time on January 28, 1984 and won’t happen again until 2124, so set your alarm clock – in other words, you won’t see another one in your lifetime!
As the site points out Stelvision, from 3 o’clock in the morning, Saturn comes into view. An hour later, at 4 o’clock, place Neptune, Jupiter and Mars. Just before dawn, up to Uranus. Then finally, come dawn, you will have the opportunity to observe Venus and Mercury, although this last planet is low on the horizon.
Exceptional planetary alignment of the planets from June 20 to 27.
Such a planetary configuration is very rare, the last time the planets were seen in their order of distance from the Sun a century ago. Next time will be in 2041 pic.twitter.com/7yeoNNN81J
— SAPM (@SAPM_ASTRO) June 20, 2022
By observing the sky in the direction of the clear east and south-east horizon, it is thus possible to witness this complete parade of planets from 3 o’clock in the morning. Another tip if you don’t have a compass: “We look at the Moon and make a 3/4 turn to the left”, specifies Olivier Las Vergnas, president of the French Association of Astronomy, to BFMTV. Notice to the inhabitants of large cities, know that “we can enjoy the show” even “in an urban sky”, explained Friday June 24 Emmanuel Marcq, teacher-researcher in planetology at the University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin, to France Info.
The alignment of the planets, literally, corresponds to several phenomena. Some are visible from Earth, others are calculable but cannot be observed in the sky.
The first type of alignment is the most spectacular since it is observable from the Earth and it is the one that is taking place right now, until June 27, 2022. It occurs when all the planets are aligned with the Earth and that the latter is located at the end of the alignment. It is then possible to see the other 7 planets in the sky from Earth. This event is called “parade” because we then observe a ballet of planets in the sky. “It turns out that in June (…) all the planets – apart from the Earth of course – and the Moon will be confined to a narrow band of the ecliptic”, explains the Institute of Celestial Mechanics and Calculation ephemerides IMCCEalthough this is only a perspective effect.
The second type of alignment occurs when the planets line up with the Sun and they are all on the same side of the Sun. This phenomenon is not visible from Earth since some planets (Mercury and Venus) are not on the same side of the Earth as the others. It is then impossible to see the 7 planets in the sky at the same time. This alignment is therefore calculable, but not observable. The last alignment of this type took place on July 4, 2020, the previous one dated from 1982. It will be necessary to wait until 2161 for this to happen again.
What are the particularities of the 8 planets of the solar system?
The solar system currently hosts 8 distinct planets. These are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Formerly, this list also included Pluto, located after Neptune. In 2006, Pluto was requalified as a dwarf planet, thus leaving the group of official planets of the solar system. Indeed, this celestial body no longer fulfilled all the criteria established by the International Astronomical Union to be qualified as a planet. Click on each of the icons of the 8 planets of our solar system and Pluto below to discover their characteristics:
The next complete alignment is scheduled for December 1, 2124. Only then will it be possible to admire the 7 planets aligned in the sky again. As for the next great alignment, it will occur on February 21, 2161, according to data from the Institute of Celestial Mechanics and Ephemeris Calculation. IMCCE.