Planets Line Up This Weekend

Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury appear very close together in the evening sky this weekend, especially on Sunday evening.

Not nearly as spectacular as the Total Solar Eclipse that will travel across the United States in 2017, . . . but still worth a quick look if one's skies are clear after sunset.

is this the age of Aquarius?

No, that's when Jupiter aligns with Mars.

What?

Isn't Don Diego afraid of something like the collective gravities will pull the earth tumbling aimlessly deeper into space?

DonDiego fears much, . . . but not gravity. Gravity is not the sort of thing that can sneak up on one and surprise him.

Besides given the alignment of the three planets so close to the Sun, if the combined gravitational influence were of the magnitude necessary, the Earth would not be sent "tumbling aimlessly deeper into space", . . . but rather toward the Sun and a relatively quick end to civilization and all DonDiego has ever known. Not so bad, all things considered.

Obviously Don Diego hasn't consumed enough alcohol in one sitting to know that that is a false statement.

J

Darn missed seeing it, will this happen again soon?

Blade can still see this one, . . . just not quite as spectacular; Jupiter is a little lower in the sky tonight.

This is what it looked like in France on Sunday evening.

[Photo by Thierry Legault]BIG Version

There might be another 3-planet conjunction in October 2015; DonDiego is having difficulty finding details.
There's lots of conjunctions coming up this century, . . . especially if one can see Uranus, . . . not that DonDiego wants to.