by Stargazing enthusiasts were treated with a rare “planetary parade”, with seven planets coming together for the heavenly exhibition.
Skywatchers could see all seven other planets in the earth’s solar system at the same time, although a telescope was needed to watch them all.
Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury and Saturn were visible between sunset and 6.30 p.m. under the stars, according to which Saturn.
The 42-year-old Liam Bennett saw the exhibition in Henley-on-Thames and said: “I saw the best of the planetary orientation shortly after sunset and was amazed to see them all so clearly, a real joy.”
Jessica Lee, Astronomer Educational Representative at the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London, explained beforehand: “The earth and all planets circle the sun on the same aircraft, so they are all somehow aligned when they go around the sun.
“They all go around the sun at different speeds, so that their orbits take different time, which in our view on earth moves across the sky.
“Because they are on these solid organs, they occasionally land in the sky at the same time.”
It is expected that the rare spectacle last time that all seven planets are aligned by 2040.
Skygazing events took place across the country, including free open evenings in the Mills Observatory in Dundee and in the astronomer-controlled look at the Brecon Beacons who offer enthusiasts who have the chance to observe the planetary parade together with experts.
