From today until the middle of the month it will be possible to observe a rare grouping of four planets and a comet; Chairman of the Israeli Astronomical Society: a once-in-a-hundred-year event; It is also possible without a telescope
Doron Lantz et al., Haaretz
A rare pentagonal grouping of four planets and a comet will be visible this evening on the western horizon, just after sunset. Three planets - Venus, Mars and Saturn - will be seen in a circle with a diameter of only 2.5 degrees. Near them it will be possible to observe the planet Hema. Those who will equip themselves with field binoculars and go far to a dark place, will be able to observe among the planets a comet called Otsunomiya FC/2002.
The best time to watch the play is right after sunset, at eight o'clock. Then Hema will set beyond the horizon. You have to find an open observation point for the western horizon. A clear, cloudless sky will allow a perfect view, including of the planet Mercury, which people rarely see. The observation can be made any day from now until mid-May.
Venus, the brightest planet of the four, will be well visible above the western horizon just after sunset. Mars, the highest of the three, will be seen in a reddish hue to the left of Venus, and Saturn in an orange hue, will be the left and lowest of the three. To the east of Saturn you can see the planet Mercury
Each planet (planet) has its own cycle, and the times they orbit the sun vary from two months (Humper) to 30 years (Saturn). Only very rarely is there a chance that the stars will appear to an observer from Earth to be grouped together. The next time such an event will occur is in 2040. Astronomers predict that the mirror will then be much less successful due to being too close to the sun.
The planets differ from all the other stars in that they change their relative place in the sky, beyond the daily "movement" of sunrise and sunset caused by the rotation of the earth on its axis, which is common to all elements of the sky. The chairman of the Israeli Astronomical Society, Yigal Fat-El, said that such a grouping between the planets and a relatively bright comet occurs once every few hundred years.
Do not believe the prophecies of astrologers
An artist illustration depicting the quintet of planets
The heavenly spectacle that is now gathering in the sky (AP)
The fascinating one, one of whose highlights will be seen tonight - five
The planets will arrange themselves in the sky in the structure of a triangle, after previously they were grouped in a straight line
- may give rise to a series of mystical predictions
and false prophecies
Dr. Noah Brosh
The rare "heavenly spectacle" - when five of the planets are arranged in a unique arrangement; One of its highs tonight, May 5 - may also produce strange astrological bras, the champagne of which the scientists warn.
The rare event - the likes of which will return in 2040 (and this was reported in this section) - will last until the beginning of June. It can also be seen with the naked eye (when there are no clouds).
The arrangement of the planets was created due to a combination of the self movements of the five stars around the sun, and the rotation of the earth around the sun.
The formations that the five will draw - a hot star, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter - will be impressive. At the end of April they settled in the sky almost in a straight line, above the western horizon. The planet Hema was closest to the horizon, above the sea. Above it we see Venus - the brightest body in the sky at this time, after the sun and the moon. Mars was above Venus, and above it - Saturn.
The four were found near the constellation "Taurus". Above all, in the "Gemini" group, we see Tzedek.
Today a more impressive sight is expected: Venus, Mars and Saturn will line up in the corners of an equilateral triangle. Venus and Mars will pass by each other on May 10 and a few days later the Moon will join them.
The crowding of bright planets in a limited place in the sky is always a hot spot for mystics, astrologers - and fraudsters. About two thousand years ago, three stargazers and seers of the future came to look for the "King of the Jews", Jesus, - following a similar event of the grouping of the planets.
Today, other fraudsters may take advantage of the innocence of many and publish "predictions" for good/bad events that await us, while waving unfounded assumptions.
The British astrologers, for example, predict that the "spectacle" heralds the coming of good days and that the queues at the supermarkets will be shortened - all because of the arrangement of the planets in the sky.
The "scientific explanation" given for the phenomenon: the movement of the planets changes the magnetic fields originating from the sun. The changes affect the earth's magnetic field - which affects humanity, through the central nervous system.
This type of explanation is "pseudo-science" (as if science): uses scientific concepts taken out of context, while demonstrating a complete lack of understanding of the physical and physiological phenomena.
To be convinced of the false prophecies, it is enough if we pay attention to what is going to happen in the coming month - and be convinced of the untruth of the astrological predictions.
Those who do not believe, should read a huge database of scientific (statistical) tests for the various aspects of astrology. He will discover that there was no case, in which the astrological predictions came true - beyond what was expected anyway, due to coincidence.
But human nature is unchangeable, and there are sinners today and everywhere - just like thousands of years ago. Technology and scientific development have not yet succeeded in uprooting superstitions.
