Astronomy Picture of the Day - Neptune at Night

NASA ^ | 9 Nov, 2024 | Image Credit & Copyright: Voyager 2, NASA

[MtnClimber]

Explanation: Ice giant Neptune is faint in Earth's night sky. Some 30 times farther from the Sun than our fair planet, telescopes are needed to catch a glimpse of the dim and distant world. This dramatic view of Neptune's night just isn't possible for telescopes in the vicinity of planet Earth though. Peering out from the inner Solar System they can only bring Neptune's day side into view. In fact this night side image with Neptune's slender crescent next to the crescent of its large moon Triton was captured by Voyager 2. Launched from planet Earth in 1977 the Voyager 2 spacecraft made a close fly by of the Solar System's outermost planet in 1989, looking back on Neptune at night as the robotic spacecraft continued its voyage to interstellar space.

[MtnClimber]

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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.

[MtnClimber]

[MtnClimber]

Pinging the APOD list

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[telescope115]

Nice!

[BenLurkin]

That is spectacular.

[Kudsman]

Another spectacular achievement of the patriarchy. Beautiful.

[MNJohnnie]

“That’s no moon”

[DannyTN]

I see Neptune in my toenail clipping.

[Verginius Rufus]

Neptune is hard to see at night...but impossible to see in the daytime.

I think I managed to see it once through a small telescope. At night, of course.

[Red Badger]

Doesn’t look much different than Uranus..........

[No name given]

Cool.

[Deaf and Discerning]

Wow... that’s a nice one.