Yes, Planets Can Affect You
And physics tells us exactly how much
Feeling a little down during the day this week, but oddly upbeat at night? Watching the clock at work, but feeling agile and alert at night?
The planets might be to blame…in theory.
At least once a year, I stumble across an email forward or Facebook repost announcing that some planet — usually Mars, but occasionally Jupiter, Venus, or Saturn — has an unusual alignment with Earth that will do something out of the ordinarily, like altering gravity or render planetary features visible to the naked eye. The proclamation is usually attached to some authority, like NASA.
The rumor has a long and amusing history. It evidently started in 1976, when a British astronomer pulled an April fool’s prank on a radio program, telling listeners to jump into the air at 9:47 am local time in order to experience weightlessness caused by a rare planetary alignment. Predictably, dozens called in to report the success of their experiments. Human nature is easily manipulated.
This classic seems to circulate every year or two.
This weekend, however, there really is a confluence of planets lining up in a unique way…
