The Watch
Tower Society won't touch the planetary positions, instead dismissing them as supposedly ambiguous, which is both a lie, and a red herring because the
observations don't fit 588 BCE, even if the specific names of the
planets are ignored.
VAT 4956 (lines 12 and 13 on the front) says there
were 4 planets visible during the period between sunset and moonset on
the 1st evening of the 3rd month. The observations indicate that 2
planets were in front of Leo (and therefore near each other), another planet was
above Scorpio, and another planet was opposite Leo. Even if specific names of the
planets are ignored, this is impossible for the required period asserted
by the Watch Tower Society, supposedly starting the evening of 30 June
588 BCE.
Between sunset and moonset on the evening required by the Watch Tower Society (and the next few evenings), Jupiter was far below the horizon, Saturn was
behind the sun (on the far side of the solar system), Venus had already
set before sunset, and Mars and Mercury were on opposite sides of the
sky to each other. So with only 2 planets visible and neither near each
other, the observations cannot be reconciled at all (even if we pretend
the planet names are ambiguous).
But on the
correct dates (starting from the evening of 20 June 568 BCE), Mercury and
Mars are very near each other and both in Leo, Venus is still in the sky after sunset and to the west of Leo, and
Jupiter is above Scorpio, completely consistent with the tablet.