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Credit & Copyright: Fernando Rey
(LuzLux)
Explanation:
What are those bright objects hovering over the horizon?
Planets -- and the Moon.
First out, the horizon featured is a shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean that occurs
at the
Galicia National Park in northern
Spain.
Next furthest out, on the left, is the
Moon.
Easily the brightest object on the night sky, the
Moon
here was in only a
crescent phase.
The next furthest out, on the right, is the planet
Venus, while planet Jupiter
is seen at the top of the triangle.
The long exposure from our rapidly rotating Earth made all of
celestial objects -- including the far distant stars -- appear as slight
arcs.
The featured image was taken last Sunday night.
Although the Moon's orbit has now taken it away from
this part of the sky, the
planets
Venus and Jupiter can be seen superposed just after
sunset until mid-August.
The closest apparent separation of
Venus and Jupiter
will occur in one week, when the
two planets will appear
separated by less than the angular diameter of the Moon.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: conjunction - Venus - Jupiter
Publications with words: conjunction - Venus - Jupiter
See also: