If you wake up first thing in the cock-a-doodley-doo morning….for the next few weeks or so, you’ll be treated to the sight of all the planets (except Saturn) arrayed along the ecliptic, the path of the sun through the sky.  That is 6 of the 8 planets.

Pluto is not included….no way.  No how.   It got kicked out.  Danged-est thing too.  Growing up, and learning about the planets all those years, the scientists always let Pluto play in the Reindeer Games…..even though it was very small and WAY the heck out there.    Not so much any more.  Yep.  Ol’ Pluto was banned a few years back. (I think it had to do with Disney buying Pixar.) But Pluto was my favorite.  And now what?

I don’t like Uranus…. for obvious reasons.

I guess my favorite now is Mercury.  Closest to the sun.  Probably the warmest, and hence, my choice.  It is always colored red on the charts and such.  I like red as a color… it used to be my favorite.  But now blue, green and orange are further up on my list.  Things change.  I’m fickle.  I think Earth is the only blue and green planet.  Not so sure about which ones might be orange.

But I digress…..  Election Year is just around the corner…..

“Astrologers have always been fascinated by planetary alignments, and the doomsayers of 2012 have been prophesying a mystical alignment on Dec. 21, 2012.”  (MSNBC)

“For the last two months, almost all the planets have been hiding behind the sun, but this week they all emerge and are arrayed in a grand line above the rising sun. Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter are visible, and you can add Uranus and Neptune to your count if you have binoculars or a small telescope.” (MSNBC & NBC Image)