Some media speak of an exceptional celestial phenomenon that can currently be observed in the sky: the alignment of 6 “planets”: Mercury, Venus, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. Is it really exceptional? What is it about ? Should we see a sign there? We will explain everything to you !
an alignment “exceptional” of planets occurs this week (between June 22 and 26) in the sky currently. The specialized press talks about it, we explain to you why this phenomenon is not so exceptional!
We went to meet Eric Chariot, development manager of the Astronomical Society of Burgundy, in Dijon. The latter explains to us that this alignment is “exceptional”because in fact it is the presence of Mercury that is interesting: “Mercury is a very difficult planet to see because it quickly drowned in the glow of the rising sun. The phenomenon is observable between 4:45 a.m. and 5:15 a.m., it requires a clear horizon line, and a clear sky.”
But for the amateur of astronomy, the aligned planets is a phenomenon which is not exceptional in itself: “Seen from Earth, the planets are in the same plane. They are always aligned in fact, they evolve along a line called the ecliptic.”
The exceptional aspect of the phenomenon is, in addition to the presence of Mercury, to have the Moon in this “alignment” : “We will see them like this for several weeks, every morning. Venus will be very bright, she can be seen very well. Right now, we have a guest, which is the Moon, between Venus and Mars.”
Below, a short reading commented by Eric Chariot of the sky expected on June 24, for an observation in the early morning, around 4:50 a.m.:
Eric Chariot recalls that the observations of the ancients, in Antiquity, had already made it possible to interpret a particular mechanics of the stars: “In Antiquity, we understood that the planets were on a line, we already knew the ecliptic. What we didn’t have at the time was the vision in space of all this phenomenon .If you look out into space, these planets are actually not aligned with each other at all.”
So, should we look for a symbolic specific through the alignment of the planets? For the host and responsible for the development of the Astronomical Society of Burgundy, it is a rather skeptical response that he brings, as to the interpretation to be made of this celestial phenomenon:
“When we talk about the alignment of planets, we always have in mind the idea of a phenomenon that rarely occurs. In fact, what we imagined in antiquity was that the planets passed through a certain number of constellations, which are the same through which the Sun passes, these are the constellations of the Zodiac.
There, we get closer to all the myths concerning astrology […] it is something that intrigues people! It’s a pretty nice sight to see all these planets at the same time! Trying to catch Mercury, that’s what’s interesting! But even if it means something about the fate of the Earth or something else, or his personal fate, well no, there is nothing on that side at all!
Too bad for those who thought they would find a sign to try their luck at games of chance or make sports bets, the stars would have nothing to do with destiny…!
Eric Chariot explains what the ecliptic is on which we see the planets evolve in the sky, and the possible symbolism linked to the stars:
A interactive exhibition at the Jardin de l’Arquebuse “Météorites Experience”will take place from June 30 to July 4, with public reception, on the afternoons of July 2 and 3 (planetarium)
Every Saturday in July and August, the Hautes-Plates observatory of the Astronomical Society of Burgundy, on the Combe plateau at La Serpent in Corcelles-lès-Monts will be open, with events and entertainment.
On July 9, the Astronomical Society of Burgundy will be in town in Dijon, to make everyone observe the Moon from 6 p.m., the observatory will also be open.
The Nuits des Etoiles will take place on August 5 and 6, an important event of the year, with several thousand people expected at the Hautes-Plates observatory.
The Night of the Perseids, that is to say the night of the Shooting Stars, is scheduled for August 12, with also a lot of people expected to observe the shooting stars at the Corcelles-lès-Monts observatory.
Saturday August 13 will be a special evening to discuss the myths and science around the Moon.
The meetings with the SAB are presented by Eric Chariot:
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