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Astronomy Picture of the Day - The Retrograde Dance of Saturn and Neptune
NASA ^ | 6 May, 2026 | Image Credit & Copyright: Tunç Tezel (TWAN) Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST

Posted on 05/06/2026 12:09:06 PM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: What does it mean for Saturn and Neptune to be in retrograde? Featured is a composite of images taken over 34 nights from May 2025 to February 2026 tracing Saturn (brighter, foreground) and Neptune (dimmer, background). Over that time, the two planets exhibited retrograde motion, meaning they appeared to move backward in the sky. This apparent backwards motion occurs when Earth overtakes the slower outer planets as they orbit the Sun. Imagine the Solar System is a running track. Earth "runs" faster along the inside of the track compared to the outer planets. As Earth approaches, aligns, and then "laps" the outer planets, they change position from ahead to behind from the Earth's perspective. This perspective shift is what causes the outer planets to change position in the night sky. An animation corresponding to today’s image shows Saturn and Neptune’s months-long dance across the northern night sky. Saturn stepped from the Pisces constellation into Aquarius and back again while Neptune remained in Pisces. This is the closest Saturn and Neptune have been in the sky since their last conjunction in 1989.


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 05/06/2026 12:09:06 PM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 05/06/2026 12:09:28 PM PDT 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

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

3 posted on 05/06/2026 12:10:15 PM PDT 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
If this thread had been about Uranus, I would have been here for the jokes!

But the adventure begins at Exit 163 in Uranus, MO!


4 posted on 05/06/2026 12:36:15 PM PDT by Tom Tetroxide (Psalm 146:3 "Do not trust in princes, in the Son of Man, who has no salvation.")
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To: Tom Tetroxide

“I will not make jokes about San Francisco . . . I will not make jokes about San Francisco . . . I will not make jokes about San Francisco . . .”


5 posted on 05/06/2026 1:14:59 PM PDT by AFB-XYZ (( We have two options: 1. Stand up, or 2. Bend over))
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To: MtnClimber

Featured is a composite of images taken over 34 nights from May 2025 to February 2026 tracing Saturn (brighter, foreground) and Neptune (dimmer, background). Over that time, the two planets exhibited retrograde motion, meaning they appeared to move backward in the sky. Cool


6 posted on 05/06/2026 1:26:26 PM PDT by kawhill (Dywedwch Wrthbym because + Add translation Welsh-English dictionary 'Tell Us')
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To: MtnClimber

Wow.


7 posted on 05/06/2026 1:41:03 PM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
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To: MtnClimber

Kudos to the photographer for showing us this perspective.


8 posted on 05/06/2026 9:26:15 PM PDT by telescope115 (Ad Astra, Ad Deum…)
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