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Monday, 22 April, 2002, 02:11 GMT 03:11 UK
Planets put on rare spectacle
Star gazers have been enjoying a once in a life time sight of five planets lined up in the sky - all visible to the naked eye.
The rare grouping of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will not be seen again in a similar alignment for a century.
The next 30 nights or so will herald an astronomical feast with the planets remaining visible as their patterns change each night and they continue to move around the Sun.
A view of the skies without binoculars will currently show five clear dots of light, seemingly the appearance of bright stars.
Venus is the brightest of the planets, followed by Jupiter. Mars, which is reddish in hue, may be faint but Saturn should be clearly visible.
By 4 May, Saturn will be "overtaking" Mars to form a triangular pattern with Venus.
The Moon will often be in the same part of the sky as the planets, appearing to jump about between them from night to night.
Over the next two or three weeks, the planets will move closer together and become more bunched.
Similar groupings will occur in September 2040 and July 2060 but the planets will not be as close together or as visible to the naked eye.
Tony Sizer, planetarium lecturer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, UK, said Venus and Mars were currently moving towards Jupiter.
He watched the skies from Croydon, south London, and said enthusiasts should keep an eye on the planets throughout the next month to see the sequence in motion.
"It is best described as a line-up of dots and is a spectacular sight from the point that it is pretty unusual," he said.
"It is important for astronomers because they can see all the planets with the naked eye, but I do not think it will lead to the end of the Earth as was historically feared.
"The planets can currently be seen across the world though they are most visible in areas not covered with bright light, in the Northern Hemisphere."
Mr Sizer said photographs could be taken using a camera and tripod in order to gain exposure over a few seconds, which would not be possible to achieve if taken by hand.
A similar arrangement of planets happened two years ago but was not visible from Earth because of the position of the Sun.
The cluster follows another rare astronomical treat.
The brightest comet for nearly eight years was visible in the western sky after sunset in past weeks.
The wandering comet, called Ikeya-Zhang after its Japanese and Chinese co-discoverers, re-appeared in the inner Solar System a few weeks back.
It would have last been visible in the 1600s.
Read a selection of your comments on your sightings all over the world.
We observed the wonderful sight in the sunny Bahamas just after sunset. It was a fascinating experience.
Went up to the high ground at Richborough Castle, Kent, after sunset. Part cloudy sky, but good view of Venus and Jupiter. Saw 4 Jupiter moons through small telescope. Later Saturn (with rings looking saucer like) came clear followed by Mars. During next 30 minutes cloud thinned and we were able to see all 5 clearly with naked eye.
Asked my 11 year old daughter to think of us when she watches the next alignment in 70 years time!!
It is a great show -simply spectacular.
Don't miss it!!
Tim Peco, Malta
What a great show. I did not think that I would be able to see the planets so clearly.
Nice show. On Friday night I saw Venus and Jupiter, which for the previous two nights each made their own nice show with the Moon. I was able to point out all but Mercury to several family members. Now I can try to find Mercury tonight, weather permitting!
We drove down the M6 yesterday through Cumbria as the Sun set and gradually all the planets came into view over the Lake District hills, except Mercury which I'll be looking for in the days to come. A memorable journey!
Réjean Dubois, Canada
I went out to watch it. The first I saw was Saturn, because Venus and Jupiter were initially obstructed by cloud. However it was too cloudy to see the others, so I went home a bit disappointed because I was hoping to see Mercury. Still with a couple of weeks left to view this show I hope to see it in all its glory soon (and hopefully take a few pictures on my SLR camera).
Leaving a restaurant I looked up at the sky and saw several bright stars. It was only when I returned home and checked the BBC news page, as I do every night, that I realised what I had seen. Fabulous!
I went outside at 2040 local time - it was a beautiful sight. The moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and Venus were all visible. I just missed Mercury, which was blocked by the trees.
Wow excellent, I can see this keeping me busy over the next few evenings. Everyone should go and have a look.
The view from Milton Keynes was mixed - the horizon was very brown so no chance of seeing dull Mercury. But Venus was very bright along with Jupiter. Trained a small telescope on Saturn - what a sight, just happens to be at the optimum viewing angle just now - I could see the rings so clearly. Also could see the four Galilean moons of Jupiter and the dark cloud bands - it was great. Mars was a disappointment, mainly due to the afore mentioned horizon and light pollution.
Had a great view tonight of the planetary alignment. Watched the planets slowly come out as darkness set in. Could see Jupiter and Venus first plus the moon then the other Saturn then Mars. Couldn't see Mercury, however, due to some obstructions to my view on the horizon. Took lots of photos with my digital camera which came out quite well but unfortunately don't show all the planets!!
Fantastic! What a show.
Typical British weather - cloudy. A repeat of the much vaunted eclipse of 1999!
On the evening of 17 April I step outside just about 2030 Local Time in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA, to view the planetary alignment. The view of the night sky was spectacular in the crisp clear mountain air. Suddenly I caught movement in the sky almost precisely along the same path upon which the planets were aligned. To my amazement, I saw 2 very bright lights high in the sky. One trailing the other in tight formation. It was not an airliner. Other airliners were easily visible in other parts of the sky so there was no mistake. No, it was the International Space Station with the US Space Shuttle just pulling away from it, soon after its undocking. I verified location of Shuttle and ISS on the Nasa website at the time. What a treat!
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