News

Lyn Lucero

Another cosmic phenomenon shines its way into the current headlines.

As everyone may have heard of this news already, it is the planet parade or the planetary alignment wherein one can see six planets—Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune— in the night sky.

On January 25, the Economic Times published an article stating that the Planet Parade occurs when several planets align in the same area of the sky, creating a breathtaking display.

It further stated that from January 21 to February 2025, with peak visibility around January 29, especially after sunset and just before dawn., Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn will be easily visible to the naked eye.

Mars will appear closer to dawn, while Uranus and Neptune, though fainter, can be spotted with the help of binoculars or a telescope. This alignment is a rare opportunity for everyone to witness the wonders of our solar system without the need for advanced equipment.

NASA Watch the Sky stated in its article on May 29, 2024, that the alignment is an illusion, astronomers are quick to point out, given the widely varying elliptical path of each planet's orbit around the sun. But the uncommon arrangement could prove captivating if local weather does not interfere.

"From the perspective of someone standing on Earth and looking up at the sky, the planets appear to line up in a relatively straight line. This phenomenon can be referred to as a planetary alignment or a planetary parade," explained Dr. Kate Pattle, a lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London. This statement was reported by Jacopo Prisco in his article on CNN Science about the planetary parade.

"But physically, there's no actual alignment happening. It's just that most of the planets are more or less on the same side of the sun at the moment. If the planets actually aligned with each other in space, that would be called a syzygy, and that's a much, much rarer event," she added.

Can we imagine the enormity of space if these six planets aligned? Just how vast is the universe?

How big are the planets?

In an article published on the Johns Hopkins University Hub on January 24, 2018, Arthur Hirsch stated that Jupiter surpasses all other planets in both mass and volume. It has a mass that is nearly 318 times that of Earth, meaning that the most massive planets could be equivalent to almost 3,200 Earths.

"Jupiter's mass is more than 300 times that of Earth, and its diameter, at 140,000 km, is about 11 times Earth's diameter," according to Maria Temming's article published in "The Sky & telescope: The Essential Guide to Astronomy.

Considering the majestic celestial bodies and their unimaginable size, do we ever reflect on how wonderful, powerful, and great our God is?

He is the force behind the wonders of the universe, which scientists still strive to comprehend through their years of research.

Yet, despite His greatness, He cares for each one of us.

In the vast power displayed in the universe where our mind can't even begin to grasp, just how much faith does it take for us to believe in Him? That He can do anything in our favor if we come to Him in prayer?

In Luke 12: 6- 7, He assures us, "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet, not one of them is forgotten by God. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

Whenever doubts arise, just look up at the sky. All because in the wonders of those glittering bodies against the dark sky, the answer is there.