I think this is one instance where I'm gonna have to take their word for it:
Astrophotographer Josh Dury captured this stunning photograph of the seven-planet alignment on Feb. 22 from the Mendip Hills, Somerset, U.K.
'A fantastic, yet challenging photographic opportunity to observe all planets during a small window in time,' Dury told Space.com in an email.
Now, when you hear the phrase about planetary alightment, you might — like me — picture something like this:
But it actually looked like this:
I'm not saying the planets aren't there, I'm just saying I don't see them!
Apparently, though, you just have to know where to look:
Counting em up...
...Looks like they're all there!
(This is technically an 8-planet alignment, by the way, because we are standing on one of the planets involved 😉)
According to astrophotographer Josh Dury, Mercury, Saturn and Neptune were the trickiest captures, as their proximity to sunlight made them hard to snap:
To capture these three planets Dury captured a panorama of several 'panes'. For the 'pane' that captured Mercury, Saturn and Neptune, Dury used two multiple exposures; the base of the panorama and another with increased exposure and ISO to try and capture the light from the dimmer planets. Dury then matched with plain sphere maps to confirm their position.
I can't let you go without showing you how to catch this phenomenal scene:
So yeah, if that crazy liberal cat lady who reads her horoscope daily is acting weirder than normal, this is why.
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
