|
Credit & Copyright: Christopher Go
Explanation:
These three panels feature the Solar System's ruling
gas giant Jupiter
on August 15 as seen from Cebu City, Phillipines, planet Earth.
On that date the
well-timed telescopic views
detail some remarkable performances,
transits and mutual events, by Jupiter's Galilean moons.
In the top panel,
Io
is just disappearing into Jupiter's shadow at
the far right, but the three other large Jovian moons appear against the
planet's
banded disk.
Brighter
Europa
and darker
Ganymede
are at the far left, also casting
their two shadows on the gas giant's cloud tops.
Callisto
is below and right near the planet's edge, the three moons in
a triple transit across the face of Jupiter.
Moving to the middle panel, shadows
of Europa and Ganymede are still visible near center
but Ganymede has occulted or passed in front of Europa.
The bottom panel captures a rare view of Jovian moons in eclipse
while transiting Jupiter, Ganymede's shadow falling on Europa itself.
From planet Earth's perspective, similar mutual events,
when Galilean moons occult and eclipse each other,
can be seen every six years or so when
Jupiter
is near its own equinox.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 - Jupiter's Moons
Publications with words: Jupiter - Jupiter's Moons
See also: