May 5, 2000 Planetary Alignment

And Its Destructive Potential

Royal Observatory Greenwich says...

"There is a `line-up' of the planets on 2000 May 5. In the past such apparent alignments of the planets have been associated with potential disasters. Such associations are scaremongering with no scientific basis. For example, at the birth of a baby the gravitational force due to the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter, is less than that due to the presence of the midwife. "

The facts of the alignment on 2000 May 5 are that the Earth is at one side of the Sun and, almost directly opposite, on the other side of the Sun are Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn with Mars some 20 degrees away. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are close to being at right angles to this the `alignment'.

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Griffiths Observatory, Los Angeles, California says...

"There will be a series of planetary alignments in the year 2000. Will the earth tilt over? No. Will tidal forces trigger earthquakes? No. Will the polar ice caps melt? No. Will you even be able to see the alignments? Not really. "

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Truman Collins has assembled the facts...

"The short answer is that there will be no unusual forces exerted by the planets on that day, and this planetary configuration won't cause any sort of disaster"

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When Did This Last Happen?

The short answer to the question, "when was the last time the five planets plus sun and moon were this close," is 1962 -- when there was a solar eclipse at the same time!