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Credit & Copyright: Shi Huan
Explanation:
Venus,
named for the Roman goddess of love, and
Mars,
the war god's namesake, come together
by moonlight
in this serene skyview, recorded on July 11
from Lualaba province, Democratic Republic of Congo, planet Earth.
Taken in the western twilight sky shortly after sunset
the exposure also records
earthshine illuminating the otherwise
dark surface of the
young crescent Moon.
Of course the Moon has moved on.
Venus still shines in the west though as the
evening
star, third brightest object in Earth's sky,
after the Sun and the Moon itself.
Seen
here above a brilliant Venus,
Mars moved even closer
to the brighter planet and by July 13 could be seen only
about a Moon's width away.
Mars has since slowly wandered away from much brighter Venus in the
twilight, but both are sliding toward bright star Regulus.
Alpha star of the constellation Leo, Regulus lies off the
top of this frame and anticipates a
visit
from Venus
and then Mars in twilight skies of
the
coming days.
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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: Venus - Mars - Moon
Publications with words: Venus - Mars - Moon
See also: