Question

What does it mean when astronomers say planets are aligned?

Answer 1

There are two different ways that the term alignment is used referring to the planets in our Solar System. The first way is if you were standing on the Sun, all the planets would appear to be lined up in a row. This is what most people think of when the they hear the term planetary alignment. The other kind of alignment is if all the planets follow a straight line. In other words, it is as if a straight line can be drawn through the center of all the planets.When astronomers use words like "planetary alignment", they don't mean a literal lining up. They just mean that some of the planets are in the same general region of the sky. And this type of "alignment" almost never happens to all the planets, but instead happens to two or three planets at one time.