The cosmos is an awe-inspiring, unbelievable, and wondrous thing — which makes it easy to be spoofed.
But is the planetary alignment with the pyramids at Giza, alleged to take take place on December 3rd, 2012, a hoax or a truly rare astronomical event?
Well, both — sort of.
What is factual about the Giza planetary alignment?
There will be a planetary alignment on December 3rd, 2012 over the Giza pyramid complex, but it will not look anything close to as impressive as the photo rendition that went viral late this past summer.
That said, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn will align in the sky over the pyramids at Giza on December 3rd.
What is the Giza alignment hoax?
The above image made the social media rounds a few months ago and, while impressive, it’s not nearly accurate. According to Nature.com, the image discrepancies are:
- The photo is taken from the southwest, facing the pyramids. In order to see the planet alignment, you must be northwest of the pyramids
- The actual line will be much steeper in the sky and not placing the planets right above the caps of the pyramids
- The three planets will not align in such a straight line, but instead will be a bit curved
The original photo was the photoshopped creation of Charles Marcello on World Mysteries Blog. His blog post with the original image (which claimed this alignment only happens every 2,737 years) hinted at both spiritual and apocalyptic significance — especially with the Mayan calender drawing to a close in December 2012.
The Illinois Sky Watch produced another image that shows how the planets might realistically look (if you were able to view them through the smog and light pollution of Cairo).
Even though the original image is, for the most part, a hoax, December 3rd will still play host to an astronomical event of rare sorts. Mercury, Venus, and Saturn have aligned in such a manner in the past few years, but not directly over the pyramids at Giza.
What do you think about this alignment? Does it have any significance to you?
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