Alignment of the planets, part 2
In the first part of the article on the alignment of the planets, we talked about the case when the planets are aligned one behind the other, and now we are talking about a different type of alignment, which is alignment along the ecliptic, rather around the ecliptic, but so that two or more planets are on the same side of the sun.
Journalists call planetary alignment differently: a parade of planets, and it occurs when three or more planets can be seen in the sky on one clear night.
- According to the number of visible planets, there is a mini planetary alignment when three planets are seen in one line.
- Then there is a minor planetary alignment with four planets and a major alignment where five or six planets are seen in the sky.
- Finally, there is a complete planetary alignment and then seven planets are visible.
Now here’s the good news, if you haven’t heard about it already: right now, in January and February, we have a great alignment of the planets in the sky.
It’s a great opportunity to do a planetary survey in one night.
All the way to the east we will find Mars, a powerful reddish planet that has attracted attention since prehistoric times and which in ancient Greece was identified with the god of war Ares, who in Rome was given another name: Mars.
On Mars, there is a gigantic mountain-volcano, Mons Olympus, 25 kilometers high, and there is also a gigantic Valles Marineris canyon.
In order to see those details, we need an extremely powerful telescope – which we certainly don’t have, but in the photos we can take ourselves, we will see the polar region.
To the west of Mars is now Jupiter, the largest and most powerful planet in the solar system. With a good telescope, we can see its stripes, and also the giant red spot – a terrible storm that has been raging on Jupiter for centuries without stopping.
While looking at this planet, pay attention to its four large satellites. Astrobiologists are crazy about them because they find that they are suitable places for some form of life.
Next is Uranus. Uranus is a huge, gassy planet. Whether because of its great distance or because of the absence of relief, this planet has never been in the center of interest.
However, it also has some interesting features, namely its rotation and a ring!
Yes, it turns out that this planet is surrounded by a ring that can only be seen up close. You won’t see any of that but keep that data in mind as you observe Uranus.
Then it follows, in the west already close to the horizon, Neptune. Neptune is a rather boring planet: it is far from the gas itself and has no interesting terrain.
But be careful now: On Neptune, the fastest winds in the Solar System have been recorded, reaching up to 2,400 kilometers per hour.
A little closer to the west we come across Venus. Now we are almost home because Venus is next door and closest to us. It serves to explain to planetary scientists why that planet is so similar and so different from Earth.
And it was also used to prove the heliocentric system. Sometimes it is seen in the morning, sometimes in the evening, so many people thought it was two planets.
And at the end of this walk in the sky, we come to Saturn, and Saturn is a powerful planet, second in size, right after Jupiter. It has a ring that puzzled early telescope observers.
What is known for sure is that those rings will not exist forever, and they are already disintegrating, only it is a very slow process.
There are several very interesting satellites around Saturn, and astrobiologists are particularly interested in Titan, on the surface of which there are large lakes – methane.
Finally, note that this constellation of planets is not common; it happens once in two decades so take the opportunity and watch it.
