Five planets align in dawn sky

[Halb]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-3536...

The Great conjunction!!!

[tapkaJohnD]

The new BBC series "The Story of China" started this last week and said that the Shang dynasty fell in 1572 (or thereabouts) when there was a Great Conjunction, as it was seen as a great astrological portent which happens every 500 years. But the BBC site, and others, treat it as common - you can see it again next August!

Doesn't matter - in the UK the clouds never lift long enough to see a meteor shower, let alone a "Great Conjunction"!

John

[Eric Mc]

I've seem plenty of planetary conjunctions over the years.

[Halb]

tapkaJohnD said:

The new BBC series "The Story of China" started this last week and said that the Shang dynasty fell in 1572 (or thereabouts) when there was a Great Conjunction, as it was seen as a great astrological portent which happens every 500 years. But the BBC site, and others, treat it as common - you can see it again next August!

Doesn't matter - in the UK the clouds never lift long enough to see a meteor shower, let alone a "Great Conjunction"!

John

I watched that. That was the closest one they've had, it said. Every 516 years or something?

[Beati Dogu]

I saw that too, they showed it at a planetarium. I think it was about 1059 AD.

Chinese astronomers also record seeing the Crab Nebula (supernova) in 1054. At the time it was so bright it could be seen in daylight.