Planetary Picture of the Day
Week of February 20, 2023
Several looks at the night sky as seen right here on Earth, as well as detailed clouds on Saturn.
Monday, February 20, 2023
Shipwreck at Moonset
The Skeleton Coast in Namibia stretches from Angola to the north down to South Africa in the south. The name is derived from the whale and seal bones that once littered the shore, along with the many skeletal remains of the shipwrecks caught by offshore rocks and fog. More than a thousand such vessels of various sizes litter the Skeleton coast. The Zella is one such shipwreck.
The moon is about to slip under the horizon, "reddened and dimmed by the low, long line-of-sight across the Atlantic". The moon is dwarfed by the size of Venus lighting up the night sky, while Jupiter lies just above our bright 'sister' planet.
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Waning Crescent Moon Over Poseidon Temple
Taken on the morning of March 1, 2011, this stunning photo shows the waning crescent Moon hanging over the Temple of Poseidon in Sounion, Greece. The temple is located on a hilltop overlooking the sea to the southeast of Athens and dates back to the mid-400s BCE.
Thursday, February 23, 2023
Perseids Reign
Perseid meteor shower at its peak, captured in the Snowy Range of Wyoming, USA. This type of image requires integration and/or stacking and may allow you to calculate rates of meteors per any given amount of time. The Perseids take place in August and are one of the most spectacular meteor showers during the year.
Friday, February 24, 2023
Saturn in infrared
A rather dramatic false-color look at Saturn, centered around the latitude of 55° North. Showing a corner-to-corner range of about 20,000 kilometer, this uses near-infrared images taken by Cassini on July 20 2016. At these wavelengths, we can see just how dynamic Saturn's atmosphere actually is... and subject to basically the same physics as when you mix milk into coffee.
