The composite image shows the seven planets of the solar system as seen from Earth after sunset on February 22. (Image credit: Josh Durie)
A stunning photograph has captured all seven of our planetary neighbors in the Earth's sky at once, possibly for the first time in history.
The composite image, created by astrophotographer Josh Durie, shows Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, Venus, Neptune and Mercury all lined up in a rare “planetary parade” that occurred this weekend for the first time since 1982. (Here's how you can see it for yourself tonight.)
While spacecraft like NASA's Voyager 1 have captured images of all the planets in the sky from space, ground-based cameras have only recently reached the level of sophistication needed to capture them from Earth, making Durie's photograph likely the first of its kind.
“Seven (possibly eight) is an achievement that, to my knowledge, has not been achieved before,” Durie told Live Science in an email, noting that if you include Earth itself, visible in the foreground, the total number of planets in the image is eight. “This image could be a record-breaker because it is the first of its kind to include all the planets in the solar system, stitched together in a panoramic image.”
Durie took the photo just after sunset on February 22 in the Mendip Hills, a range of limestone hills in Somerset, UK.
To achieve this photographic result, Dury created a composite photograph consisting of several panels, each taken with multiple exposures.
To determine the locations of Saturn, Neptune, and Mercury, which were dimmer and closer to the western horizon, Dury used astronomy software to model the night sky and match the planets' positions to nearby star fields. He then used a high-dynamic-range (HDR) camera setting to capture the planets' dim light.
“When I took the picture, I noticed that it was impossible to photograph the lowest planets during sunset – the glare from the sun makes it almost impossible,” Durie said. “So this image is a record of the first possible glimpse of the planets as the light from the sun fades.” Models of the night sky helped him later identify the planets in the picture.
Planetary conjunctions occur when two or more planets appear close together in the sky. This is, of course, only from our perspective on Earth – in reality, the planets remain extremely distant from each other.
Such conjunctions are not uncommon, but they become increasingly rare with each planet added to the chain. For example, the three inner planets—Mercury, Venus, and Earth—line up within 3.6 degrees in the sky every 39.6 years. For all eight planets in the solar system to line up that closely would take 396 billion years, which has never happened and will never happen before the Sun becomes a red giant, engulfing Mercury, Venus, and likely Earth in the process.
It is slightly less unusual, however, for all seven planets to appear aligned on the same side of the Sun, as seen in Dury's image and in the night sky today. Another parade of seven planets is expected to be visible from Earth in 2040.
If you want to see the planetary alignment for yourself, tonight (February 28) is a great time to do so. Time and Date and Stellarium are two great online tools that will help you find out viewing times based on your location.
TOPICS Solar System
Sourse: www.livescience.com
