1807_1474 Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter
While the moon and Venus were setting in the west (yesterday's upload), Mars appeared just above the horizon to the southeast. At first it was such a brilliant red that I wondered if it could be a manmade object. But it continued to rise into the night sky, and its red softened as the light passed through fewer atmospheric layers. Mars is currently enveloped in dust storms, which may be giving it an extra-reddish tinge. You can see it at the lower left in this shot.
Meanwhile, Jupiter sat higher, regally, in the southwest (to the right), and between them the stars of the Milky Way were flung across the southern sky. But wait, another visual treat also sits there: Saturn, standing out from the clouds of stars in the Milky Way. It isn't as bright as the other two planets, but you can find it.
Follow the road at the bottom of the frame to its vanishing point. Now look above the horizon and slightly to the left - about a quarter of the way from the horizon to the top of the frame. You can see two bright "stars", the left one higher. If you were to draw a shallow, convex arc between Mars and Jupiter it would pass through this area. The "star" to the left, the higher one, is the planet Saturn.
What a breathtaking sight on a clear summer night, four planets in one frame: Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Earth!
Photographed from Earth, in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2018 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
1807_1474 Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter
While the moon and Venus were setting in the west (yesterday's upload), Mars appeared just above the horizon to the southeast. At first it was such a brilliant red that I wondered if it could be a manmade object. But it continued to rise into the night sky, and its red softened as the light passed through fewer atmospheric layers. Mars is currently enveloped in dust storms, which may be giving it an extra-reddish tinge. You can see it at the lower left in this shot.
Meanwhile, Jupiter sat higher, regally, in the southwest (to the right), and between them the stars of the Milky Way were flung across the southern sky. But wait, another visual treat also sits there: Saturn, standing out from the clouds of stars in the Milky Way. It isn't as bright as the other two planets, but you can find it.
Follow the road at the bottom of the frame to its vanishing point. Now look above the horizon and slightly to the left - about a quarter of the way from the horizon to the top of the frame. You can see two bright "stars", the left one higher. If you were to draw a shallow, convex arc between Mars and Jupiter it would pass through this area. The "star" to the left, the higher one, is the planet Saturn.
What a breathtaking sight on a clear summer night, four planets in one frame: Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Earth!
Photographed from Earth, in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2018 James R. Page - all rights reserved.