|
Credit & Copyright: Tom Martinez
(Astronomical
Society of Kansas City)
Explanation:
Gliding through the sky on Wednesday evening, February 20th,
a first quarter Moon
seemed to run over bright planet
Saturn as viewed from much of North America.
In this sharp sequence of telescopic
digital images from the Powell Observatory
near Louisburg, Kansas, USA, Saturn is
seen reappearing
from behind the bright lunar limb over a period of about 2 minutes.
The ringed planet emerges above the
dark, smooth lunar
Mare
Crisium (Sea of Crises).
This lunar occultation was
widely anticipated in part
because the ringed planet
and the brilliant Moon
are both spectacular celestial sights.
Now,
European sky gazers will have their turn as the Moon
occults the Solar System's largest planet, Jupiter in
early morning hours
on Saturday, February 23rd.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Moon - occultation - Saturn
Publications with words: Moon - occultation - Saturn
See also: