<Don't worry Juan Carlos, giant Earth in the sky can't hurt you, it's not real, you can write this thread>
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Fine, so the planets won't look huge, but at least it's rare that they're aligned, right?
Quite the opposite! Planets orbit the Sun more or less in the same plane, give or take a few degrees; see the blue ellipses below. So from any planet all the other ones always look aligned on the sky.
If they suddenly weren't aligned, then THAT would be news. Very bad news.
OpenStax3/
Jeez, ok, so the planets always look aligned, but surely it's not common to see so many of them at once, right?
It's not uncommon! Here's a photograph taken last year from ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile, showing 6 planets, the Moon and a comet above the Very Large Telescope.
https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2510a/
B.Haeussler/ESO4/
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Jeez, ok, so the planets always look aligned, but surely it's not common to see so many of them at once, right?
It's not uncommon! Here's a photograph taken last year from ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile, showing 6 planets, the Moon and a comet above the Very Large Telescope.
https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2510a/
B.Haeussler/ESO4/
In case you've noticed this in the images above: yes, the Moon also orbits roughly within the same plane, so it appears more or less aligned with the planets and the Sun.
This means that the Moon can block our view of the planets ("occultations", very cool to photograph with a telescope).
And when it blocks the Sun, well, that's an unforgettable experience, like this solar eclipse I photographed from ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile in 2019. The dot close to the horizon is Venus.
5/
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<Don't worry Juan Carlos, giant Earth in the sky can't hurt you, it's not real, you can write this thread>
Ok, let's ignore for a moment the ridiculously oversized planets, the fact that one of them is the Earth for some reason, the bonus Jupiter, the transparent Moon...
Let's unpack whether there's any truth to this planet parade that's making the rounds on #SocialMedia .
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In case you've noticed this in the images above: yes, the Moon also orbits roughly within the same plane, so it appears more or less aligned with the planets and the Sun.
This means that the Moon can block our view of the planets ("occultations", very cool to photograph with a telescope).
And when it blocks the Sun, well, that's an unforgettable experience, like this solar eclipse I photographed from ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile in 2019. The dot close to the horizon is Venus.
5/
Don't let this grumpy rant deter you from going out and enjoying the view though! But with so much disinformation going rampant on social media, it’s important to set realistic expectations.
Finally, since I’ve mentioned Stellarium in this thread, I have to re-share the post below.
6/6
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<Don't worry Juan Carlos, giant Earth in the sky can't hurt you, it's not real, you can write this thread>
Ok, let's ignore for a moment the ridiculously oversized planets, the fact that one of them is the Earth for some reason, the bonus Jupiter, the transparent Moon...
Let's unpack whether there's any truth to this planet parade that's making the rounds on #SocialMedia .
1/
@astro_jcm Gotta love Jupiter and not-quite Jupiter next to one another!
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@astro_jcm Gotta love Jupiter and not-quite Jupiter next to one another!
@benknispel "What about second Jupiter?"
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Don't let this grumpy rant deter you from going out and enjoying the view though! But with so much disinformation going rampant on social media, it’s important to set realistic expectations.
Finally, since I’ve mentioned Stellarium in this thread, I have to re-share the post below.
6/6
@astro_jcm I feel like such a curmudgeon when I see friends post the generated images from these AI hype sites, but it really annoys me! Space is cool. There is cool stuff to see. Real stuff, not "cosmic smiley faces" or whatever other trash they are peddling.
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<Don't worry Juan Carlos, giant Earth in the sky can't hurt you, it's not real, you can write this thread>
Ok, let's ignore for a moment the ridiculously oversized planets, the fact that one of them is the Earth for some reason, the bonus Jupiter, the transparent Moon...
Let's unpack whether there's any truth to this planet parade that's making the rounds on #SocialMedia .
1/
@astro_jcm
We suppose the fact that all planets except Mars are positioned on the same side of the Sun and hence are visible (some using binoculars or telescopes) shortly after sunset is somewhat noteworthy.https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/solar-system/#/home?rate=0&time=2026-02-28T23:27:25.000+00:00
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/watch-the-skies/2026/01/16/most-notable-2026-astronomical-events-a-year-of-watching-the-skies/ -
<Don't worry Juan Carlos, giant Earth in the sky can't hurt you, it's not real, you can write this thread>
Ok, let's ignore for a moment the ridiculously oversized planets, the fact that one of them is the Earth for some reason, the bonus Jupiter, the transparent Moon...
Let's unpack whether there's any truth to this planet parade that's making the rounds on #SocialMedia .
1/
<throws arms up> EVERYONE FORGETS ABOUT JUPITER-TWO! ARRRG! <storms off in a huff>
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<Don't worry Juan Carlos, giant Earth in the sky can't hurt you, it's not real, you can write this thread>
Ok, let's ignore for a moment the ridiculously oversized planets, the fact that one of them is the Earth for some reason, the bonus Jupiter, the transparent Moon...
Let's unpack whether there's any truth to this planet parade that's making the rounds on #SocialMedia .
1/
@astro_jcm Still no Pluto. Rude
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J jwcph@helvede.net shared this topic
