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Astronomy Picture of the Day - Planet Parade over Sydney Opera House
NASA ^ | 24 Feb, 2026 | Image Credit & Copyright: Prasun Agrawal

Posted on 02/24/2026 2:04:48 PM PST by MtnClimber

Explanation: Look up this week and see a whole bunch of planets. Just after sunset, looking west (mostly), planets Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter will all be visible to the unaided eye simultaneously. If you have a telescope, planets Uranus and Neptune can also be seen. In order up from the horizon, the lineup this week will be Venus (the brightest), Mercury, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Jupiter (second brightest). It doesn't matter where on Earth you live because this early evening planet parade will be visible through clear skies all around the globe. The planets will appear to be nearly in a line because they all orbit the Sun in nearly the same plane: the ecliptic. The featured image shows a similar planet parade that occurred in 2022, captured over the Sydney Opera House in southern Australia. Although visible all week, the planets will be most easily seen together this weekend.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa

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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.

1 posted on 02/24/2026 2:04:48 PM PST by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 02/24/2026 2:05:37 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

3 posted on 02/24/2026 2:06:00 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; ...
Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

4 posted on 02/24/2026 2:06:50 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Sorry, the annotated version of the photo with the names on the objects is not copying today. It is at the source link if you hover your cursor over the photo and then go slightly off.


5 posted on 02/24/2026 2:10:30 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

In before off topic Wise Cracks about Uranus.


6 posted on 02/24/2026 2:20:17 PM PST by lee martell
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To: MtnClimber

Low temperatures due to global warming plus nonstop cloud cover in my area restrict me from any astronomical fun.


7 posted on 02/24/2026 2:21:35 PM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: lee martell

Uranus isn’t visible with the naked eye. :)


8 posted on 02/24/2026 2:36:27 PM PST by xp38
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To: MtnClimber
Unfortunately I don't have the time to travel to Sydney.

But I have seen all of the planets at one time or another (Neptune and Ouranos only in a telescope).

The Brits initially called the 7th planet Herschel after its discoverer, but none of the other planets are named for people, and the Democrats would have a fit if we tried to revive it (they would think it was in honor of Herschel Walker, who ran for office as a Republican). Maybe just call it Septem.

9 posted on 02/24/2026 2:40:33 PM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: xp38

Lol!


10 posted on 02/24/2026 2:59:32 PM PST by lee martell
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To: MtnClimber

Venus and Mercury are only 12 Degrees from the Sun, You can’t see them yet.


11 posted on 02/24/2026 3:03:29 PM PST by qam1 (There's been a huge party. All plates and the bottles are empty, all that's left is the bill to pay)
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To: MtnClimber

Wow.


12 posted on 02/24/2026 3:35:34 PM PST by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
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To: MtnClimber

Neat.


13 posted on 02/24/2026 3:35:45 PM PST by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
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To: MtnClimber

I’ve seen the Sydney Opera House both up close...and from the Sydney Harbor Bridge (which I walked across). Almost as iconic as the Statue of Liberty.


14 posted on 02/24/2026 4:02:04 PM PST by Gay State Conservative (Import The Third World,Become The Third World)
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To: MtnClimber
Here is the full moon in Sydney and NYC in Sept and July 2023.

If you look closely, you’ll notice that the moon in Sydney is “upside down.”

15 posted on 02/24/2026 5:20:56 PM PST by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s²)
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To: DoodleBob

Cool photos!


16 posted on 02/24/2026 6:48:54 PM PST by telescope115 (Ad Astra, Ad Deum…)
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To: MtnClimber

Wonderful pictures of an icon for Sydney, for ever.
Awesome Picture!
I had a chance to see it several times, but not at midnight.
My daughter was living in Sydney, on Cremorne Point, when she was an iintern at the Australian government’s (Federal Bank)
I was there in 1988, the Bicentennial for Australia.
Saw the Naval ships of the world in the Harbor and spent a great afternoon and a few evenings at “The Rocks!” I was at the Pub that hosted the “Anzac’celebration. Honored by a T-shirt from my new mates!
It was called, “the Fortune of War Hotel Bar!”

Thank the Lord I was able to see so much in my life, so far! (85)
As always, thank you for your posts.
Regards,
Bat


17 posted on 02/24/2026 10:19:50 PM PST by BatGuano (Donald J. Trump, thank you!.)
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