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Old 20-10-2018, 02:10 PM
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mental4astro (Alexander)
kids+wife+scopes=happyman

mental4astro is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: sydney, australia
Posts: 4,979
Challenge No. 5

The Massey Alignment

Firstly, I am not so arrogant as to name something after myself! Instead, this name was given to this most unique apparition by some of my friends, so why not go with the flow

For the next few days from the writing of this post, and on two more occasions next year, it will be possible to view ALL the planets, plus the Moon and Pluto all in the sky at the one time!

This is not a linear alignment as the planets will be spread out across 180° east to west. Linear alignments also won't show all the planets in the sky at the one time - Venus and Mercury will be between the Earth and Sun.

I chanced upon this whole of planetary alignment by chance a few months ago while researching possible dates for outreach. This apparition is only visible for about half an hour to 45 min as Venus and Mercury disappear below the western horizon these next few days, and Uranus is just rising in the east at the same time. No one had noticed this alignment of every major body in the sky all at the one time, not individuals or professional astronomers. Me!

There will be three opportunities all up that this apparition will happen. This October just after sunset, in late April next year (2019) just before sunrise, and end of October/start of November next year (2019) again just after sunset. This apparition is only visible for a couple of weeks during these dates. And then that's it for several hundred years!

I started a thread here in IIS about this:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=167278

I've also made a post entry on my blog about this event too:

http://alexanderastrosketching.blogs...ing-up-in.html

Oh, and a mate of mine started a thread about the current Massey Alignment here in IIS. I managed to complete the Massey Alignment last night! Crazy really as last night was the first clear night in Sydney for the last two weeks and the only clear night forcast for the next week too:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=170866

Below are two Sky Safari screen shots of this October's apparition, looking West and looking East at 7:57 pm.

So, if you miss this October's apparition, you'll have two more next year. Then that's it for a very, VERY long time.
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