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Credit & Copyright: Sebastian Voltmer
Explanation:
Wandering through this stunning field of view,
Mars
really is in front of these colorful cosmic clouds.
The mosaic contructed from telescopic images
is about 5 degrees (10 full moons) across.
It captures the planet's position on August 26,
over 7 light-minutes from Earth and
very near the line-of-sight to
bright star Antares and the
Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex.
In the exposure yellow-hued Mars, above and left, is almost
matched
by Antares, also known as Alpha Scorpii, below center.
Globular star cluster M4 shines just right of Antares,
but M4 lies some 7,000 light-years away compared to Antares'
500 light-year distance.
Slightly closer than Antares, Rho Ophiuchi's bluish starlight is
reflected by the dusty
molecular clouds
near the top of the frame.
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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: Mars
Publications with words: Mars
See also: