Las Campanas Moon and Mercury
Explanation:
Last Thursday the view toward sunset from the 2.5 kilometer summit of
Cerro Las Campanas in the remote Chilean Andes was amazing.
Bright but fading Mercury stood
very close to a two day old Moon.
Both a sunlit lunar crescent and
earthlit lunar nightside
are captured with the fleeting
innermost planet
in this breathtaking mountainscape.
Even below the conjunction of Moon and Mercury, a close pairing of
brilliant Venus and bright star Regulus hangs in the sky,
still above the colorful western horizon.
Of course amazing skies
above Las Campanas are not unexpected.
The region is currently home to the twin Magellan telescopes of the
Las Campanas Observatory and
the summit location is the site of the future
Giant Magellan Telescope.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
