Stars And The City: Why Tonight’s Planetary Parade Has Astro Buffs Excited

What is it about the stars and planets that excites us so much — whether it’s in sci-fi movies or books or celestial — themed jewellery and fashion? Well, a bunch of folks take that love further as they meet up to actually get close under the stars! These budding astronomers or stargazers are a thriving community that make their hobby a reason to get outdoors and enjoy the night skies. And today, they have more reason to get cosy under the starry carpet — for this marks the start of the phenomenon called the ‘planetary parade’. It’s when the seven planets — Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury, and Saturn will be seen in the sky with the help of a telescope. Here’s why it should be on your weekend list… 

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Why Is It Raking Up So much Buzz

Vikram Virulkar, astronomer, shares more about the phenomenon. He explains, “The planets always travel in a straight line along the plane of the Solar System and from earth we see them traversing the sky in the 12 constellations which are the Zodiac signs.” As per the NASA website, “While planet alignment itself isn't unusual, what makes these events special is the opportunity to observe multiple planets simultaneously with the naked eye.”

Sharing more on what you can view he says, “These alignments keep happening, some years are better than the others but it's certainly fun to catch a lot of them in one night. The planets are also not grouped very close together this time. The spectacle can be seen with the naked eye with some caveats. The planets do not appear any different than stars and a little bit of help can be taken by using mobile apps to spot them. Venus will be the brightest star in that direction. Saturn and Mercury are quite low and unless it's an exceptionally clear horizon, they might be lost in the haze. As you draw a line westward from Venus, a bright star would appear close to the point directly above you. This is Jupiter and if you have a moderately sized telescope, you might be pleasantly surprised to view it's 4 largest Moons. Following the line further westwards, you will spot a bright reddish star. This is Mars which can't be missed owing to its almost blood red appearance. Both Uranus and Neptune will need a telescope to spot them.”

Campfires And Fun: February brings out Stargazers

This is a good month for stargazing as there are quite a few celestial wonders that can be seen. February in particular marks the lantime when we bid farewell to the winter constellations and set ready to welcome the glorious summer constellations and the core of the Milkyway. For the last few years, groups of folks have been heading out to little villages and other open spaces around Mumbai to pursue this hobby. They partake in some learning, enjoy a campfire and more. Deepti Sutar who takes these groups on one such camp called Brahmand Darshan, says, it’s always a packed house in this month. “People love to go stargazing, it’s a learning experience and something new to try when you want to get away from the urban jungle and it’s also a de stressor. Tonight, we have a full house at Saphale. The night sky will reveal breathtaking deep-sky objects, including the Pleiades Cluster, Orion Nebula, and Sirius—the brightest star. As dawn approaches, the Big Dipper, Alcor-Mizar double star, Antares—the fiery red giant, and the Hercules Globular Cluster will grace the sky, along with the stunning Milky Way Galaxy.” 

How Astro Tourism Is Also Catching Up 

While stargazing around the city is one thing; for many folks the thrill lies in making a full-fledged getaway out of this, leading to a rise in the demand for astro tourism. Resorts around the country are playing host to this increasingly over the last few years, giving a rounded experience to travellers. On the rise in this trend, Virulkar affirms: “Yes, more people are definitely coming stargazing as it's a welcome breather from the city and its bustle. Not only can they breathe the much fresher rural air but see skies that are simply impossible from Mumbai! There is also another closely related branch, Astrophotography, which is capturing the night sky and deep sky objects in great detail. This requires hours of exposure from dark skies. As more people are getting access to cheaper cameras, they are getting fascinated by this. This is also to an extent facilitated by newer camera phones, some of which even have astrophotography modes!” Where are they headed? “Several locations like Suryamal, Sandhan Valley, Naneghat, Tahmini Ghat are all apt places to catch a clear glimpse of the night sky and take a photograph as a memory back with them.”

He adds, “In our cities, light pollution can be a big threat to this hobby. But there is more awareness of the need to preserve dark skies and initiatives like the Hanle Dark Sky reserve in Ladakh and the Pench Dark sky reserve in Maharashtra are good examples of people coming together to preserve the night sky.”

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