All eight planets ‘captured in photo for first time’

A photographer is thought to have become the first person to capture all seven planets and Earth in one picture.

The rare image was made possible because a “great planetary parade” is taking place this week for the first time since 1982 – when cameras were not advanced enough to capture them all.

The panorama was taken from Somerset’s Mendip Hills on Saturday by Josh Dury, 27, an award-winning astronomical photographer dubbed the “Starman”.

Mr Dury said: “It is made of nine images, revealing Saturn, Mercury and Neptune.

“They were very tricky to spot. I used multiple image analysis and astronomy apps to confirm their location.

“As this was taken with a wide-angle lens, the nine images stitched to a panorama and a HDR blend of one of the frames to reveal Saturn, Neptune and Mercury. These three planets are not easy to see at all.”

The Royal Astronomical Society said that spacecraft, such as Voyager, had captured all the planets in the sky at once, but it was not aware of anyone taking such an image from Earth.

Why do the planets align and when will they next be visible?

Currently, specialised astronomical equipment is needed to see all the planets, but on Friday they will all become visible in the night sky.

Planetary alignments occur because the planets in the Solar System orbit the Sun within roughly the same plane – known as the ecliptic plane.

As they orbit at different speeds and distances from the Sun, there are moments when they appear to line up from Earth’s perspective.

This alignment is a visual phenomenon rather than a physical one, because the planets remain “separated by millions or even billions of kilometres in space”, said Dr Shyam Balaji, a researcher in astroparticle physics and cosmology at King’s College London.

Will you need a telescope to see the planets?

Stargazers will need no equipment to see Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn, but binoculars or a telescope are necessary for Uranus and Neptune. Planets can be told apart from stars because they shine steadily, rather than twinkling.

Saturn will be the lowest planet on the Western horizon and the hardest to spot with the naked eye.

It sets shortly after the Sun, and there will only be a few minutes while the planet is above the horizon and the sky dark enough to see.

Mercury should be visible just above Saturn, and higher still will be Venus, which is the brightest in the sky.

Jupiter will be in the east just above Rigel, the brightest star in the constellation of Orion. To the east of Jupiter, Mars will be visible.

Neptune and Uranus both appear between Jupiter and Venus, and resemble non-twinkling blue orbs. Experts recommend using an app to find them.

Josh Dury's panorama showing Earth and all seven planets — The photograph was captured with a wide-angle lens, with nine images stitched to a panorama – Josh Dury/SWNS

“The best time to see the planets in the UK is early in the evening just after sunset,”said Prof David Armstrong of the department of physics at the University of Warwick.

“You can see five of the planets with your own eyes: Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. Venus in particular is very bright, but Mars is noticeably red and Saturn yellow.

“With high-powered binoculars or a telescope, you might be able to see Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter’s moons or Saturn’s rings.”

He added: “This ‘great planetary alignment’ won’t happen again until 2040, as it needs all the planets to be on the same side of the Sun.”

Experts say the planetary alignment is best viewed in dark and cloudless skies looking at a horizon without buildings or trees, so the lower planets can be seen.

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