Six Planets to Align, Perseid Shower to Peak
Six planets are set to align in the sky as the Perseid meteor shower reaches its annual peak, though cloudy conditions may hamper visibility in Hyderabad.
On Wednesday, a rare celestial event will unfold as six planets — Mercury,
Jupiter, Mars, Uranus, Saturn and Neptune — align across the sky on new moon
day. Jupiter, Mars and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye, a pair of
binoculars or a telescope will be need to spot the others, if it is not
cloudy and the city lights do not obscure the smaller planets.
The alignment coincides with the annual Perseid meteor shower, which will
peak overnight from August 12, producing 10 to 50 shooting stars per hour.
However, cloudy skies are expected to hinder visibility.
Meanwhile, a total solar eclipse will cross Greenland, Iceland and northern
Spain. It will not be visible in India.
Samarth Majumdar of the University of Hyderabad Astronomy Club said
enthusiasts usually gather with instruments to observe such rare events, but
the monsoon cloud cover have left clubs disappointed.
Mrunalinee Ramanja, scientific officer at Birla Planetarium, Hyderabad,
said, “The cloudy sky predicted by IMD will dampen the six‑planet alignment
and Perseid shower for city enthusiasts. Even at our institute, we will have
to rely on live telecasts.”