Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi captured a unique moment of the “march” of the planets.
From his balcony in Rome, Gianluca Masi took a stunning photograph of the night sky, featuring four planets: Jupiter, Venus, Mars, and Saturn (along with the Moon) perfectly aligned.
Four planets including Saturn, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter forming a straight line.
Thanks to the rare and random alignment of these four visible planets (from Earth) in the Solar System, Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi was able to capture this unique image.
In this photograph, the four planets—Saturn, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter—are lined up directly behind the Moon, resembling “ducklings” queuing up beside their mother.
It is noted that all four planets have been observable since April 23, appearing above the horizon during the early morning in the Northern Hemisphere. “It is a magnificent sight; all four planets are very easy to observe,” Masi stated.
He explained that this phenomenon occurs when the orbits of the planets bring them into the same area of the sky as viewed from Earth.
It is expected that the four planets will remain in alignment until early July. However, by mid-June, Mercury will join the “marching team,” increasing the total number of planets forming a straight line to five.
This interesting alignment of planets is not uncommon, but it does not happen frequently. The last recorded instance of five planets aligning in the night sky was in 2020, with previous occurrences in 2016 and 2005.
