Tuesday, December 25, 2012

The Moon's apparent celestial companion

Tonight, as darkness settles, the bright near full Moon has a companion nearly bumping into it. The Moon happens to be in direct alignment with the largest planet of the solar system, Jupiter. While Jupiter is 40 times wider than the Moon, it is over 1500 times farther away, making it appear as a bright pinpoint next to the glaring Moon.

Such is our view from Earth...

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