Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2020 September 2

                            Jupiter and the Moons
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Fedez

   Explanation: How many moons do you see? Many people would say one,
   referring to the Earth's Moon, prominent on the lower left. But take a
   closer look at the object on the upper right. That seeming-star is
   actually the planet Jupiter, and your closer look might reveal that it
   is not alone - it is surrounded by some of its largest moons. From left
   to right these Galilean Moons are Io, Ganymende, Europa and Callisto.
   These moons orbit the Jovian world just like the planets of our Solar
   System orbit the Sun, in a line when seen from the side. The featured
   single shot was captured from Cancun, Mexico last week as Luna, in its
   orbit around the Earth, glided past the distant planet. Even better
   views of Jupiter are currently being captured by NASA's Juno
   spacecraft, now in a looping orbit around the Solar System's largest
   planet. Earth's Moon will continue to pass nearly in front of both
   Jupiter and Saturn once a month (moon-th) as the two giant planets
   approach their own great conjunction in December.

                  Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
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