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Credit: T. Polakis
Explanation:
Venus and
Jupiter appeared unusually close together in the sky last month.
The conjunction was easily visible to the unaided eye because
Venus
appears brighter than any background star.
The two planets were not significantly closer in space -
Venus just passed nearly in front of Jupiter as seen from the
Earth.
Visible in the
above photograph are actually five planets.
The faint dot near the top is
Saturn.
Venus is the brightest spot near the center, and
Jupiter is just above it.
Perhaps the hardest to see is Mercury,
visible below Venus but above the foreground
Earth.
A single line nearly connects all the
planets,
a result of all planets orbiting the
Sun in a single plane called the
ecliptic.
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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: Jupiter - Venus - conjunction
Publications with words: Jupiter - Venus - conjunction
See also: