Josh Dury, a photographer based in Somerset, UK, recently captured a panoramic image showing all eight planets—including Earth—in a single frame. He took the photograph on February 22, 2025, during an uncommon astronomical event called the "planetary parade," an occurrence when all eight planets align on one side of the Sun.
Capturing a single image of all eight planets isn't straightforward. Dury faced several technical challenges, especially with dimmer planets like Mercury, Saturn, and Neptune. These three planets aren't bright enough to easily show up in standard exposures. To overcome this, Dury combined two distinct photographic techniques. First, he took a normal, base exposure, ensuring brighter planets showed clearly. Then, he used a second exposure with a higher ISO and longer shutter speed to capture faint planetary bodies. Finally, he stitched together nine separate images, blending them carefully to create a clear, cohesive panoramic view.
Dury relied heavily on astronomy software and mapping apps to confirm the precise locations of each planet. Even with careful planning, capturing Neptune, Mercury, and Saturn was challenging due to their proximity to the Sun and the western horizon. According to Dury, this proximity meant these planets appeared slightly misaligned compared to their actual orbital positions. He attributed this discrepancy partly to atmospheric conditions, such as low cloud cover near the horizon, which can distort visibility and planetary positioning.
This specific planetary alignment is rare, last observed clearly in 1982. While smaller planetary alignments, involving three to five planets, occur more frequently, alignments involving all eight planets (including Earth) are exceptionally uncommon. After this alignment, the next event of a similar scale isn't expected until 2040, making Dury’s photograph especially significant.
Dury, age 27, known among astronomy enthusiasts as "Starman," is well-recognized in the astrophotography community. For this historic image, he specifically used a Sony a7S II camera paired with a Sigma 15mm Fisheye lens.
Astronomers define a planetary alignment as a situation where multiple planets occupy roughly the same region of the sky when observed from Earth. The alignment doesn't mean the planets are literally lined up perfectly in space but indicates they appear close together from our vantage point. Typically, three-planet alignments happen often, while five-planet alignments occur less frequently. Alignments involving seven or all eight planets are extremely rare, making them significant events in astronomy.
The planetary alignment occurring throughout late January and February 2025 has seen different planets gradually aligning. Earlier alignments included Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune between January 21 and 29. The February 28 alignment, which includes Mercury, marks the culmination of this astronomical event, offering a rare chance for sky-watchers worldwide to observe nearly the entire solar system from Earth.
Visibility for the event varies widely depending on geographic location and local weather conditions. For viewers in urban areas, light pollution can make it more challenging to see dimmer planets clearly. Observers interested in spotting Mercury, Saturn, and Neptune will need to ensure they have access to telescopes or binoculars with good magnification.
Pffffff….. sigh. This one’s a pet peeve, as it’s a disingenuous image. Those circles are doing some heavy lifting.
It’s perhaps true that all of the planets would technically be in that field of view, but he’s not captured them in an image. He’s photographed four planets, Earth, clouds, light pollution, a couple stars and the glow on the horizon as the sun sets. Last Saturday Saturn, Mercury, and Neptune were too far in the glow of sunset to pick out with binoculars never mind an 180° fisheye looking through urban light pollution.
The circles at the horizon aren’t even in the correct locations.
I’m always torn with these types of things because sh*tt*ng on them is riding a line between spoiling the awe that can get people interested in astronomy and battling unrealistic expectations that set those same people up for disappointment.