Posted on 04/03/2002 4:20:25 PM PST by green team 1999
Wednesday, 3 April, 2002, 13:31 GMT 14:31 UK
Spectacular planet show promised
By BBC News Online's Helen Briggs
The five planets visible to the naked eye will line up in the sky at the end of April.
Astronomers say the rare grouping of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn may not be seen again for a century.
Robert Warren, Royal Observatory, Greenwich 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.
The Earth, of course, survived and astronomers say this year's planetary show is no cause for concern.
The five planets will begin to be visible without a telescope from 20 April.
Good view
Robert Warren of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, UK, said the best time to view them would be about half an hour after sunset in an area away from lights where there is a clear horizon.
He told BBC News Online: "Looking west, note where the sun sets (just past due west) and take a line up and left.
"About 11 O'clock - if the sky were a clock - you will see the planets in order of distance from the Sun.
"Over the few hours after sunset you'll be able to see all the planets follow the Sun below the horizon in an almost exact straight line."
Over the next two or three weeks, the planets will move closer together and become more bunched.
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.
'Wandering star'
Dr Warren added: "Since so many astronomical events come and go very quickly this one is interesting because it gives us something to view over quite a sustained period.
Comet Ikeya-Zhang is also visible in early April
"This demonstrates perfectly how the planets - Greek for 'wandering stars' - baffled ancient astronomers who could not understand why they moved differently to everything else in the night sky and how they could overtake one another."
The array of five planets will provide a planet watching opportunity that will not be repeated for 100 years.
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.
The cluster follows another rare astronomical treat. The brightest comet for nearly 8 years has been visible in the western sky after sunset for the last few weeks.
The wandering comet, called Ikeya-Zhang after its Japanese and Chinese co-discoverers, re-appeared in the inner Solar System only a few weeks ago.
It would have last been visible in the 1600s.
for information and discusion only,not for profit etc,etc.
-- Your local police Dept.
And you find find more details behind this deranged thinking
Io and the GRS racing....
I've already established that CSM was not involved. As to the possibility that a Higher Power may be responsible for the unusual alignment...well darn it, I'm a scientist. Mulder can answer that question better than I...if I can just find him. :)
And an absolute riot.
Just when I figured EVERYONE will know that I was making a rhetorical statement, you have to show up and take my "Call Scully!" remark literally.
Sheesh! What a wise guy! ;-)
Actually, I'm female LOL
And why is it that everyone asks for Mulder first? Is he ever around? No, I am...typing my fingers to the bone on these science threads, investigating various mysteries, maintaining a perky and upbeat attitude while HE is off chasing some Venusian skirt somewhere. Leaving me here to deal with the baby and the FBI by myself...honestly that guy takes me for granted without even so much as a "Honey, I'll be gone for a couple of months on a case".
ROFL! :)
Around here, everybody is male until proven innocent.
I'm female as well and I often encounter the default assumption of being male and, therefore, my wry statement above...
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