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What Is Planetary Alignment?
Planetary alignment refers to a phenomenon in which several of the planets appear grouped together in the night sky. Some people use the term to mean that all nine planets are grouped together and appear to extend out in a straight line from the sun. This particular phenomenon is impossible; however, once every 200 years all nine planets are visible in the sky at the same time. More commonly, a group of three or four planets can be seen. This happens approximately twice a century.
Astronomy in Ancient Times
The studies of both astronomy and astrology originated in ancient Greece. Ptolemy, an astrologer and astronomer in ancient Greece, believed that the future could be predicted by knowing the position of the planets in the sky. In Ptolemy's time, some astronomers were aware of basic astronomical facts such as the rotation of the Earth. Astronomers believed the position of planets in the sky were related to seasonal changes. Most people attributed these changes to actions of the gods, and the planets were named after gods for this reason.
Planetary Alignment and Weather
The belief that the alignment of the planets affects weather patterns persists to the current day. Alignments of all nine planets in 1982 and several planets in 2000 and 2002 did not affect weather in any major way, yet this belief persists. Some people who believe that the world will end in 2012 cite the possibility of a weather disaster related to planetary alignment as evidence supporting their beliefs.
Notable Planetary Alignments
Planetary alignments were considered more of interest for astrology than astronomy in ancient times. There are few records of these alignments. In modern times, however, there have been several notable planetary alignments.
In 1962, five planets came into alignment with the sun. This alignment caused an eclipse of the sun; as a result, many people believed the world was ending.
In 2000, there was an alignment of five planets and the sun. This alignment was difficult to see because of the position of the sun. Many people believed this alignment would cause earthquakes, floods and other disasters, but nothing of the sort occurred.
A similar, but more visible alignment of five planets occurred in 2002
Future Alignments
Alignments of three to five planets occur every 50 to 60 years. The next such alignment is expected to occur in September 2040. Astronomers have also predicted that alignments will occur in 2060 and 2100.
It is much more difficult to predict when alignments of all, or almost all, the planets will occur. This is a rare event; once every 200 years or so, the planets all appear in the same area of the sky, although not necessarily grouped together. A grouping of all the planets is extremely rare; there are millions of years between such occurrences.