Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 10/28/2026 12:58:25 PM PDT by MtnClimber
Explanation: Jupiter is one of the least lonely planets in the Solar System, at least when it comes to natural satellites. 115 moons have been discovered orbiting Jupiter so far! (Saturn has the most with 293, but who’s counting.) Ganymede and Io, two of Jupiter’s Galilean moons, met in the sky on October 20th, 2026. Today’s video captures the meeting, with Ganymede briefly blocking Io from view. This event, when an astronomical object passes in front of another and either completely or partially blocks it, is called a mutual occultation. The mutual occultations of Galilean moons are rare to witness because they require Earth’s edge-on view of their orbits. This occurs once every 6 years when Jupiter reaches its equinox and appears less “tilted”. Ganymede is also casting its shadow on Jupiter’s right side. Any fictional Jovian species within the shadow would experience a solar eclipse!
|
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
Today's image is a short video at the source link.
🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔
Today's image is a short video at the source link.
“mutual occultation” — frisky planets getting kinky!
Darn, I missed it.It would’ve been really cool to see it through the eyepiece, to watch both moons merge into one and separate back into two again.
In case anyone is interested:
A mutual occultation is an occultation between two bodies of the same type — planet–planet or satellite–satellite — where the nearer body appears larger in angular size and partially or fully hides the farther one. The "mutual" signals that both bodies are of comparable status, not that each one simultaneously hides the other.Regards,A "non-mutual occultation" is not a standard term — it would simply be what everyone calls a regular occultation: one body (typically much larger in apparent size, or of a different category) passing in front of another. Examples:
* The Moon occulting a star (the most common type)The distinction is purely taxonomic* The Moon occulting the Sun (a total solar eclipse)
* A planet occulting a background star
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.