'No quake during planetary alignment'

Five of the nine planets in the solar system will be in a grand conjunction tomorrow, but there's nothing to worry about, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said yesterday.

Astronomer Elmor Escosia told The STAR that Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn may be seen together but not in a straight line.

"They will be spread out at a span of 51 degrees and their formation is more or less arched," Escosia said, likening the planets' appearance as putting them together on a slice of pizza.

He likewise said there was no cause for alarm. "The grand conjunction will have no effect on the general condition of the earth," Escosia said of the phenomenon that occurs every 20 to 25 years.

The combined tidal forces of the five planets in grand conjunction, or even including the tidal forces of Uranus and Neptune, will have no effect on Earth, he added.

"The combined tidal force of the planets is not enough to cause earthquakes, tsunamis or tidal waves," he said.

While the conjunction of the five planets has been plotted on astronomical charts, the event tomorrow will not be visible here as it will occur before sunrise.

"The 'rising' of the five planets will occur almost at the same time as the rising of the sun. By then, the light of the sun will obscure their appearance," the astronomer told The STAR.

The spectacular planetary event has nevertheless gotten astronomers and night sky watchers excited.