Alignment of Six Planets

February 05, 2016

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Photographer:  John Chumack
Summary AuthorJohn Chumack

As shown above five planets are aligned across the morning sky, but since you have to count Earth too there are actually six planets nicely lined up. The waning gibbous Moon also joins the planetary parade. For much of February, about an hour before sunrise, Earth will be in just the right position to get a great view of the planets aligning along the ecliptic. Mercury is just above the brightening eastern horizon at bottom left, followed by brilliant Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter (to the right of the Moon). Click on photo for an annotated version. Photo taken near Warrenton, Virginia, on January 30, 2016, at 6:13 a.m.

Photo Details: Canon 6D DSLR camera; 8mm fisheye lens; ISO 800; 8 second exposure.

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