First Shot Of Its Kind: British Astrophotographer Captures All Seven Planets And Earth In One Frame

British astrophotographer Josh Dury has achieved a groundbreaking feat, capturing all seven planets alongside Earth in a single image. This extraordinary photograph features a rare “great planetary parade,” an alignment of seven planets occurring for the first time since 1982.

Panorama Of Nine Images

Josh Dury, an award-winning astrophotographer known as the “Starman”, made this stunning panorama from Somerset’s Mendip Hills on Saturday. It showcases all seven planets – Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, Venus, Neptune, and Mercury. The once-in-a-lifetime shot is composed of nine images.

“It is made of nine images, revealing Saturn, Mercury and Neptune. They were very tricky to spot. I used multiple image analysis and astronomy apps to confirm their location,” the photographer told Orbital Today.

The First Shot Of This Kind Taken From Earth

The Royal Astronomical Society mentioned that spacecraft like Voyager have captured all the planets in the sky at once. However, this is the first time such an image has been taken from Earth.

“Reddit suggesting this was last photographed in 1982, with comment from the new scientist to suggest this image could be a world first; capturing all planets in a stitched panoramic image,” the photographer added.

Challenges Of Spotting The Planets

The astrophotographer explained that the planets were difficult to find. He relied on various image analysis tools and astronomy apps to verify their positions.

“They were very tricky to spot. I used multiple image analysis and astronomy apps to confirm their location,” Josh revealed to Orbital Today.

He also mentioned that Mercury and Saturn in this image appear slightly out of alignment due to their positions near the Sun.

“Mercury and Saturn in this image, are naturally out of relative alignment to some degree. Purely because their relative positions (being so close to the sun) had to be documented as a high dynamic range image (HDR). This was applied to the “pane” on the far right of the panoramic image. The second image incorporated a longer shutter speed and ISO, to identify trace of the planets. Multiple exposures taken during the imaging session, confirmed their relative positions,” the photographer explained.

February Planetary Parade

The February 2025 planetary parade offers a rare chance to witness seven planets aligning in the night sky, which won’t happen again until 2040. The spectacle allows stargazers to see Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all together, with Neptune visible through optical aids. This event is especially significant because Mercury, often difficult to spot due to its closeness to the Sun, is also included in the lineup. While such alignments are not uncommon, the opportunity to see all seven planets at once is an extraordinary occurrence!