Humanity to witness spectacular sight: Great planet parade to take place in early June
When the great parade of planets will take place in 2024 (photo: Getty Images)
Astrophysicists have announced several exciting events for 2024: solar eclipses, abundant meteor showers, comets, and a very powerful phenomenon - a great parade of planets. This event is associated with global events in the world.
RBC-Ukraine explains what a parade of planets is, when it will be possible to see it, and what it means for humanity.
What is planet parade
The parade of planets, or as scientists call it, the alignment of the planets, is an astronomical phenomenon when several planets line up close to each other on one side of the Sun with a spread of 20-30 degrees.
Depending on the number of planets participating in the parade, there are different types:
Mini alignment - 3 planets
Small alignment - 4 planets
Large alignment - 5-6 planets
Great (full) alignment - 7 planets (sometimes together with Pluto)
The meeting of two planets is called a conjunction.
When is the parade of planets
The next planetary parade in 2024 is expected on June 3. It will be a large alignment with the participation of Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and Saturn.
People from all over the world will be able to observe the phenomenon. To do this, you need to find out the exact time of dawn in your area and start observing an hour before it. The Sky Tonight app will help you determine the exact time.
The naked eye will be able to see Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn in the sky. With binoculars or a telescope, you will also be able to see Uranus, which will be located next to Mercury, and Neptune next to Saturn.
When else there will be planet parades
Small planetary parades occur quite often, but these are lines of 3-4 celestial bodies. But parades of 5 planets or more are called rare.
The following parades are coming up:
- August 28, 2024
- January 18, 2025
- February 28, 2025
- August 29, 2025
The largest parade of planets is expected on February 28, 2025, as scientists predict that 7 planets of the solar system will be lined up at once.
The impact of the parade of planets on humanity
In fact, the impact of the parade of planets on humans has not yet been sufficiently studied. Astrologers and astropsychologists say that on such days, people's mood and well-being can change.
They indicate that there have been cases in human history when planet parades have become harbingers of certain events.
The 1962 parade took place simultaneously with the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the whole world was on the brink of nuclear war. And the 1989 parade, according to astrologers, allegedly led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Critics of these versions are convinced that such assumptions are devoid of any basis. They believe that the Barnum effect is at work here - when certain statements are interpreted by people as accurate, as they assume, created individually for them. It is this effect that explains the phenomenon of the widespread popularity of horoscopes.
