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Credit & Copyright: Jin Wang
Explanation:
This year
Saturn
was at opposition
on September 21, opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky.
At its closest to Earth, Saturn was also at its
brightest of the year,
rising as the Sun set and shining above the horizon
all night long among the fainter stars of the constellation Pisces.
In this snapshot from the
Qinghai Lenghu
Observatory,
Tibetan Plateau, southwestern China,
the outer planet is immersed in a faint, diffuse oval of light
known as the gegenschein or counter glow.
The diffuse gegenschein is produced by sunlight
backscattered by
interplanetary dust
along the Solar System's
ecliptic
plane,
opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky.
Like a giant eye, on this dark night Saturn and gegenschein
seem to stare down on the observatory's telescope domes
seen against a colorful background of airglow along the horizon.
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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: Saturn
Publications with words: Saturn
See also: