Explanation:
Earth's Moon and
planet Jupiter made a beautiful pairing
in the night sky late last week.
This
skyscape recorded on July 11 from
Brittany in north western France captures the bright
conjunction through a cloud bank.
The clouds add drama and
mystery to the scene but they
were also positioned to reduce the intense moonlight.
As a result, the exposure captures Jupiter's own
Galilean
moons (lower right) as tiny pinpricks of light, lined up and hugging
both sides of the solar system's
ruling gas giant.
Later this week, the Moon is headed for a conjunction with
Mars and Venus in the dawn sky.
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