New Delhi, March 2 (IANS). Sometimes many planets are seen shining together in the night sky, as if they are standing in a line. It is called ‘Planet Parade’ or ‘Parade of Planets’. This beautiful sight can be seen with the naked eye and arouses a lot of curiosity among people, although this phenomenon is not very rare, but does not happen every year.
When four or five planets are seen together, it looks special. ‘Planet Parade’ is not a scientific term in astronomy. This happens when the planets revolving around the Sun appear in a straight line in the sky. This happens because all the planets revolve around the Sun in the same flat plane, which is called the ecliptic plane. When seen from Earth, this plane looks like a line. The planets sometimes appear in a more clear line when they come together in conjunction or opposition, on the opposite side of the sun.
According to the US space agency NASA, sometimes the parade of five planets is visible for several days. Overall, the parade of planets gives a closer feel of the beauty of our solar system. If the weather is clear, they can be seen if you look at the sky in the evening or morning.
We can easily see Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn with the naked eye. These planets shine differently from the stars and keep changing their places. For this reason ancient people called them “wanderers”. Distant planets like Uranus and Neptune are very faint and difficult to see without a telescope.
The right time and place are essential to view the parade of planets. The best time is after sunset or before sunrise, because then the planets in the sky shine, but the planets should be at least 10 degrees above the horizon. If they are too low, their light gets scattered by the atmosphere and they become blurry or invisible at all. Buildings, trees or fog can also block the view.
The parade of planets is special because Mercury and Venus are closest to the Sun. These two planets are not visible for a long time. Venus is visible in the evening or morning for a few months, while Mercury is visible for only a few weeks or days. When these two line up with Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, a beautiful sight of four or five planets is formed. This parade is not a one day event. The planets move slowly, so this spectacle may last for weeks or months.
–IANS
MT/VC