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Credit & Copyright: Tamas Ladanyi
(TWAN)
Explanation:
The Moon, three planets, and a bright star gathered near the
ecliptic plane
in the September 18 morning
sky over Veszprem Castle, Hungary.
In this twilight skyscape,
Mercury
and Mars still shine close to the
eastern horizon, soon to disappear in the glare of the Sun.
Regulus, alpha star of the constellation Leo, is the bright point
next to a waning crescent Moon, with brilliant Venus near the top
of the frame.
The beautiful morning conjunction of Moon, planets, and bright star
could generally be followed by early morning risers all around
planet Earth.
But remarkably, the
Moon
also occulted, or passed directly in front of, Regulus and each of the
three planets within 24 hours, all on September 18 UT.
Visible from different
locations, timing and watching the
lunar occultations was much more difficult though, and mostly required
viewing in daytime skies.
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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: conjunction - Mars - Moon - Mercury - Venus
Publications with words: conjunction - Mars - Moon - Mercury - Venus
See also: