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Spectacular 5 Planet Lineup Visible This Month

Posted by michael on from the under-a-wide-and-starry-sky dept.

MartinB writes "Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are lining up in order of distance from the Sun at the end of April, according to The BBC. They'll be visible without a telescope to observers in the Northern Hemisphere from 20th April."

25 comments

  1. The really interesting thing about this by PhysicsGenius · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Is that they are lining up, as the submitter notes, "in order of distance from the Sun". Planetary lineups occur frequently (about once a fortnight if I remember my astronomy classes) but what happens is that the lineup will be something like "mars, neptune, jupiter, venus"--out of order, see? Lining up in order is a pretty rare occurence, kind of like partial vs total eclipses of the sun.

    1. Re:The really interesting thing about this by rutherford · · Score: 2, Informative

      Additionally Ikeya-Zhang will meet the Andromeda Galaxy tomorrow (April 4th and 5th) and the moon will cover Jupiter this month (16.04)
      Now I only need a better Sky. Light pollution is really a problem for all these fine objects which are near the horizon.

    2. Re:The really interesting thing about this by rdslater596 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Except the correct order should be Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn if they were indeed lining up in order of closest to the sun. Saturn is the furthest naked-eye visible planet.

      --
      Cthulhu for president!
    3. Re:The really interesting thing about this by shobadobs · · Score: 2, Funny

      However, the OP was giving an example of planets that were out of order.

      (out of order planets are _really_ planets that don't work when you put in the quarter and don't give your change back.

      Get it? Like a soda machine!

      Get it? Huh? Huh?

      Oh. No. :-(

      )

    4. Re:The really interesting thing about this by Hard_Code · · Score: 2

      "out of order, see?"

      Um, how exactly do planets line up out of order? Is it due to eccentric orbits? Otherwise it just seems illogical.

      --

      It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
  2. oh no!!! by Transcendent · · Score: 2, Funny

    the apocalypse is here!!! we're all gonna die!!!

    1. Re:oh no!!! by erlenic · · Score: 1

      I actually remember seeing a discovery channel show on this lineup a few years ago. There are apparently conspiracy theorists who believe that the lineup of these planets will put enough gravitational pull on the Earth that the crust will loosen from the mantel and be able to shift around very easily, causing massive tital waves like in the movie "Deep Impact"

    2. Re:oh no!!! by Klox · · Score: 1
      The Discovery channel show you saw wasn't talking about this lineup, but one from a few years ago. From the article:

      A similar arrangement of planets happened two years ago but was not visible from Earth because of the position of the Sun.
      It was accompanied by scare stories that our planet could be pulled off its path or struck by extraordinary tides.
    3. Re:oh no!!! by erlenic · · Score: 1

      I do remember seeing that in the article, but I know that the lineup mentioned on the Discovery Channel was the one coming up.... although, I could be wrong. I distinctly remember it being in the year 2000 or above, but it says above that the last one was 2 years ago, being 2000. Do you remember the dates for the last one? The show mentioned end of April/beginning of May.

    4. Re:oh no!!! by skotte · · Score: 2

      article? heck, that was a big issue. there were small cults devoted to that day. there were many books on the topic as well.

      The Day, incidentally, was May 5th, 2000. ( 5/5/00 )

      here's a sample web page
      http://www.revelation13.net/polar.html

      here's a sample book.
      http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail / /books/0609800671/glance/103-8192206-1714235

      i'm a living data mine :)

    5. Re:oh no!!! by Pathetic+Coward · · Score: 1

      There are apparently conspiracy theorists who believe that the lineup of these planets will put enough gravitational pull on the Earth that the crust will loosen from the mantel and be able to shift around very easily, causing massive tital waves like in the movie "Deep Impact"

      Isn't that Ed Yourdon's new book?

  3. I don't beleive you! by Cenam · · Score: 0

    how do you know Jupiter isn't first in order of distance;)

    --

    The Truth: There is no string:)
  4. Uh-oh... by almightyjustin · · Score: 1

    Doesn't this mean some demon or other is about to awaken? Or maybe I've just read too many comic books...

    --

    Omnes arx vestrum sunt adiuncta nobis.

    1. Re:Uh-oh... by leucadiadude · · Score: 2

      I think this was in that Disney movie Hercules. At a plnetary line up the Titans cage was exposed and Hades freed the Titans for his war on Mt.Olympus....

    2. Re:Uh-oh... by nickynicky9doors · · Score: 2

      Brahhhhhaaaaa! What morsels these mortals be.

      --

      heuristic algorithm seeks stochastic relationship
  5. Too early by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    The show starts around April 18 and lasts a month. I may even try to track the planets myself by taking a few 8-sec-exposure pictures during that interval (no telescope required).

    So I sincerely hope that Slashdot will run this as a main page story when it starts, but an April 3rd annoucement is just too early. Mercury is currently on the wrong side of the Sun! Give it two more weeks.

    1. Re:Too early by xanthus · · Score: 1
      Living in Chicago, I don't expect to really appreciate this as much as if I lived outside the bright lights of the city.

      Advance warning gives me time to begin scoping out the best web sites for observations and to see what the local planetarium has to offer.

      So yeah, this is a bit early for most people. But I, for one, am glad to know this ahead of time.

      --
      Why do I never get a fortune in my fortune cookies?
  6. bah! i've seen this already... by spike666 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Theres great footage of this event in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. if i had my dvd and player i'd tell you the timecode.

    now i just need to round up my illuminati buddies and head off to siberia...

  7. Re:bah! i've seen this already... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Those weren't the majestic spheres I was paying attention to in that film...

  8. Re:bah! i've seen this already... by the_consumer · · Score: 1

    Say hi to the gnomes for me! Or won't you be taking the tunnel from Zürich?

    --
    "If you're thinking what I'm thinking, you're right." -
  9. events happening in the holy land by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    maybe it is a biblical sign that something terrible is going to happen in the middle east, something much bigger than we ever seen until now

  10. End of the world? by 10Ghz · · Score: 2

    I remember seeing this "documentary" about how lining up of the planets in year 200x would cause the end of the world. Massive tidal forces would cause huge earthquakes, which would kill millions all over the world. I was pretty freaked out after I saw it. But hey, I was like 7 years old!

    --
    Lesbian Nazi Hookers Abducted by UFOs and Forced Into Weight Loss Programs - -all next week on Town Talk.
  11. Super Syzygy? by sean23007 · · Score: 1

    If a syzygy is three celestial bodies lined up collinearly, what is five? Syzygytyly?

    Obviously I know that they are not actuallu collinear, they only appear to be from Earth's perspective...

    --

    Lack of eloquence does not denote lack of intelligence, though they often coincide.