As the rare alignment of Venus and Mars hovered over Earth, extraordinary images were shot and re-shot, avidly shared with social media websites and various media outlets this past weekend. The next planetary alignment will not be until March 15, 2022, at 20:48 MDT (2,575 days away), with the two planets passing within 3°53′ of each other.
The eagerly awaited 2015 planetary alignment was appreciated even moreso due to the extraordinary lighting of the new moon in Aquarius. Universe Today has an excellent article on how to photograph perfect celestial events! According to Space.com, “The moon is actually a little brighter at first quarter than at last quarter, since at that phase some parts of the moon reflect sunlight better than others.”
The first two new moons of 2015 are not only new moons but super moons; the first new moon of which is part of the Mars-Venus conjunction. Super moons are new moons because they are closer to Earth and in direct alignment with the Sun and the Earth. They effect the weather, causing massive flooding and tidal surges.
The planetary alignment of Mars and Venus ranged from February 19-21, 2015. However, tonight (February 25, 2015) begins the new moon at its First Quarter, appearing high in the sky at sunset and setting in the west at midnight. For those in the know, the year 2015 has six super moons. The closest to September 28 will also undergo a total lunar eclipse.
Venus 08:33 14:33 20:32
Moon 08:21 14:25 20:28
Mars 08:32 14:34 20:36
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the planetary alignment of Venus and Mars is referred to as a conjunction.
a. The apparent meeting or passing of two or more celestial bodies in the same degree of the zodiac
b : A configuration in which two celestial bodies have their least apparent separation
To many,the word conjunction brings to mind “The Dark Crystal” and the Great Conjunction, directed by Jim Hensen and Frank Oz, where good and evil merge to erase negativity from the world. But in actuality it began much earlier than that with the Great Conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn.
In the real world, the Great Conjunction last took place on May 31, 2000, while the next one will be in late December 2020, an event that has attracted a lot of attention as throughout history the Great Conjuction has been associated with celestial omens.
Triple Conjunctions
Conjunctions are numerous, even a triple conjunction. This is an astronomical event that consists of two planets, or a planet and a star. They meet each other three times in a short period – either in opposition or at the time of inferior conjunction, if an inferior planet is involved. The visible movement of the planet or the planets in the sky is therefore normally prograde at the first conjunction, retrograde at the second conjunction and again prograde at the third conjunction.
The study and knowledge of Renaissance astrology increases the accuracy and scope of our modern astrologies, but its ability to unify both mechanical and spiritual causality, to heal the breach between science and religion, is perhaps its greatest legacy.
