Tell me this?

Question

Did the planets, moons and sun ever aligned in one straight line? If they ever were, what happened then? And, if they never aligned before, will they ever?

Answer 1

<>"First of all, it is impossible for all the planets to form a straight line out from the Sun (or viewed superimposed on each other in the sky) because each planetary orbit is tilted slightly (and sometimes not slight at all in the case of Pluto) with respect to the Earth's orbit (whose plane we trace out on the night sky as a line completely around the sky and is called the ecliptic). These zealots confuse the term planetary alignment with the more accurate words that should be used, planetary configuration or a loose grouping of the planets in the sky. Actually the event that occurred in 1983 was that the planets (all eight of them -- we are on the ninth, Earth) would be within 96° of each other in the sky -- not in a straight line as most people would misinterpret with the term alignment. To have all of the planets on the same side of the Sun and virtually all within the same quadrant (i.e., 90°) happens approximately once every 200 years -- rare as far as humans are concerned, but not rare as far as the solar system is concerned."
http://www.etsu.edu/physics/etsuobs/starprty/22099dgl/planalign.htm

Answer 2

I wish I had a Cray computer. When the planets align in a straight line in two dimensions nothing will happen, except the astrologers and moviemakers will have a field day.

Mathematically, I actually think it might be possible for them to align in 3 dimensions, as well. Remember, the planets all revolve in ellipses at some angle to the sun. These angles don't change much, but I think that the point (relative to the stars) that their orbits cross the plane of the suns' equator (called a node) may change with time. Eventually, if the nodes do change their position, they may all line up, and as it happens the planets could all cross the node simultaneously. If all this is plausible it would probably take many billions, if not trillions to come to pass (any astrophysicists out there?). Still, there would be no effect on the earth.

Answer 3

Brother ,Planetary alignments of one sort or another happen all the time and have for 5 billion years, and they have NO effect on the Earth, despite what some kooks and con artists say.
The gravitational attraction of anything other than the Sun and the Moon on the Earth is essentially negligible. The energy required to actually flip the spin axis of the Earth is huge, due to something called conservation of angular momentum. The magnetic field of the Earth does flip aperiodically, and actually we are long overdue, but the alignment of the planets will have nothing to do with it. The magnetic field flip probably has its origin in the turbulent magma dynamo that generates the magnetic field.

Answer 4

All of them? (what about Pluto)?

Frequently a number will be in alignment. In 2000 5 of them and the moon were pretty much aligned. There is a very good writeup at
http://www.etsu.edu/physics/etsuobs/starprty/22099dgl/planalign.htm
And what happened? Absolutely nothing. (though there was a book called The Jupiter Effect which predicted the end of the earth)

The 2000 alignment was the last time this will happen until 2675 - I hope you didn't miss it.

Answer 5

I'm not sure if they have ever lined up, but if given enough time, they will line up eventually. This is because they are all traveling in set paths at set speeds (meaning the planets do not speed up and slow down randomly). We may never see it, but it will happen, providing the universe doesn't end before then.

Answer 6

who cares, we're living!

Answer 7

No, they haven't, and no, they won't.