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Astronomy Picture of the Day - Moons at Twilight
APOD.NASA.gov ^ | 4 Feb, 2022 | Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Fedez

Posted on 02/04/2022 1:41:46 PM PST by MtnClimber

Explanation: Even though Jupiter was the only planet visible in the evening sky on February 2, it shared the twilight above the western horizon with the Solar System's brightest moons. In a single exposure made just after sunset, the Solar System's ruling gas giant is at the upper right in this telephoto field-of-view from Cancun, Mexico. The snapshot also captures our fair planet's own natural satellite in its young crescent phase. The Moon's disk looms large, its familiar face illuminated mostly by earthshine. But the four points of light lined-up with Jupiter are Jupiter's own large Galilean moons. Top to bottom are Ganymede, [Jupiter], Io, Europa, and Callisto. Ganymede, Io, and Callisto are physically larger than Earth's Moon while water world Europa is only slightly smaller.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: nasa
To be added or removed from the Astronomy Picture of the Day ping list please send me a request via "Private Reply" (Mail).

For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

The zoom function will help view Jupiter's moons in today's image.

1 posted on 02/04/2022 1:41:46 PM PST by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 02/04/2022 1:42:05 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; America_Right; AZ .44 MAG; ...
Pinging the APOD list.

πŸͺ 🌟 🌌 πŸ”

Try the zoom feature described in post 1 for a better view of Jupiter and it's visible moons.
3 posted on 02/04/2022 1:43:39 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

It looks like the cue ball on the billiard table of the galaxy.


4 posted on 02/04/2022 1:47:25 PM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer”)
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To: MtnClimber

5 posted on 02/04/2022 1:47:28 PM PST by DannyTN
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To: MtnClimber

Earth’s moon causes werewolves to change into their wolf form.

Jupiter’s moons causes gas giants to produce gas multiple times. It’s not always obvious who is a gas giant. It’s not always about size. And dogs are blamed far too often.


6 posted on 02/04/2022 1:54:22 PM PST by DannyTN
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To: DannyTN

Poor dogs.


7 posted on 02/04/2022 2:02:38 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Surprised one could get that much solar system graphic into the picture without picking up a bunch of stars as well (though I guess a couple of faint ones do show up if you look close).


8 posted on 02/04/2022 2:03:32 PM PST by Stosh
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To: DannyTN

Time for some ignorance.
It’s been about 20 yrs since I viewed the dance of the Jovian moons through a telescope, but if memory serves me right they were always on an almost horizontal plane, not vertical.
What am I missing here?


9 posted on 02/04/2022 2:26:48 PM PST by Roccus (First we beat the Nazis........Then we defeated the Soviets....... Now, we are them.)
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To: Roccus
if memory serves me right they were always on an almost horizontal plane, not vertical. What am I missing here?

The picture was taken in Cancun Mexico, so it must be the tequilla.

Other wild assed guesses at reasons:


10 posted on 02/04/2022 2:39:41 PM PST by DannyTN
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To: MtnClimber

Thank you! I called my daughter to look at it and actually got an exclamation of surprise.

“Huh!!”

I do not get that too often!


11 posted on 02/04/2022 6:15:41 PM PST by Pete from Shawnee Mission ( )
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