How to catch the historic planet parade
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune: Those are the seven planets that will align on February 28 in a way that will not be repeated until the 25th century.
From Earth's perspective, humanity will witness an alignment of almost all the planets that make up the Milky Way.
Photo: Kevin Quezada / Unsplash
Of course, the alignment will not be real, but the perspective of our planet will make it seem that way. We, as mere spectators, should be satisfied with it.
Photo: David Menidrey / Unsplash
Strikingly, no one alive today will be able to repeat this experience. The phenomenon will not return until the year 2492. No matter how much yoga we do, we will not get to see it for the second time.
Photo: Zoltan Tasi / Unsplash
So the question is, how can we see these seven planets aligned on February 28? The phenomenon will begin to be visible between the eastern and southeastern horizon. For Americans, this means they should "face the western horizon around 6 p.m. ET on Feb. 28," Today recommends.
Photo: Brandon Siu / Unsplash
The alignment of the seven planets will be clearest at night, but in different places of the world, different times will apply. In any case, the alignment is a process that can be followed for hours.
Photo: Denis Degioanni / Unsplash
However, hours before, you will be able to start seeing the parade of planets and how, one by one, they line up so that we can see them form.
Photo: Brian Goff / Unsplash
Saturn will be the first to appear, followed by Mercury 20 minutes later, then Neptune, another ten minutes later, and then we will have to wait 90 minutes before Venus 'gets in line'.
Photo: Ken Cheung / Unsplash
Uranus will be in position 3 hours and 20 minutes after Venus, while Jupiter will then take another 100 minutes. Finally, Mars will arrive three hours after Jupiter, completing a historic parade.
As a recommendation, the best location to see the planetary alignment will be in areas far from large cities, with little light pollution and, if possible, as high as possible. Don't forget binoculars or a telescope to enjoy the experience to the fullest.
Photo: Marco Bicca / Unsplash
On the other hand, it is worth using specialized applications such as 'SkyMap' or 'Star Walk 2' to know the exact area where to look, locate each planet, and make sure that what you are seeing is not a Lufthansa plane.
Photo: Josh Gordon / Unsplash
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