Here's an oldie but a goodie! It was May 3rd, 2002 and the six innermost planets got lined up for a family portrait. This photo was shot at Presqu'ile Point with (gasp) film!
On the left Stellarium shows which planets were where. Pretty impressive that anyone with a basic computer can ask free software to simulate the sky from 21 years ago.
In case you didn't notice Mercury hiding in the reeds let's zoom in a little closer.
"OK TT," you say- "Nice shot, but I still only count 5 planets." Any you'd be right, except the reeds are part of planet Earth, so it's also making an appearance! Cheeky I know.
Here's a video I made on the website theskylive.com that shows what the actual alignment looked like on that day.
Astronomy and astrophotography are not just about powerful telescopes, precision equipment and skilled image processing. Sometimes they're just an excuse to get outside on a beautiful clear evening to have an experience in contemplating our place in the universe.
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