When will all the planets align?

Answer 1

Honestly, you're in luck. In a few weeks on December 21, 2020, Jupiter and Saturn will align... a real Christmas star. (By the way people think the Christmas Star is Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus.)

These things are rare... the last Jupiter-Saturn alignment was in 1226...

Now for all the planets, hmm. I'd say it won't happen in the next 10,000 years. Even Wikipedia has ecliptic events for 500,000 AD.

Unlike what many think, it's not going to be the end.

Answer 2

The planets never truly align like they do in movies, because the rotate on different planes and at different degrees. And if they did, it wouldn't make a difference because the gravitational effects are so minute considering the distances between the planets.

The only type of planetary situation of interest occurred in 1984, when you could see the most planets possible at one time with the naked eye from earth, but they were nowhere near alignment.

However, the came the closest they could to alignment around 500 BC, and may come close sometime in the late 29th century. Not in your lifetime though.

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On the Twelfth of Never.

The planets will never "line up", not even fairly closely. Each planet orbits in slightly separate planes, and the outer planets especially never line up.

Twice each century, Venus lines up with the Earth; we call this a "transit of Venus", when we can see Venus as a black silhouette against the Sun. But the other planets never line up the same way all at once.

Answer 3

On the Twelfth of Never.

The planets will never "line up", not even fairly closely. Each planet orbits in slightly separate planes, and the outer planets especially never line up.

Twice each century, Venus lines up with the Earth; we call this a "transit of Venus", when we can see Venus as a black silhouette against the Sun. But the other planets never line up the same way all at once.