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 December 23

            Jupiter Meets Saturn: A Red Spotted Great Conjunction
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Damian Peach

   Explanation: It was time for their close-up. Two days ago Jupiter and
   Saturn passed a tenth of a degree from each other in what is known a
   Great Conjunction. Although the two planets pass each other on the sky
   every 20 years, this was the closest pass in nearly four centuries.
   Taken early in day of the Great Conjunction, the featured
   multiple-exposure combination captures not only both giant planets in a
   single frame, but also Jupiter's four largest moons (left to right)
   Callisto, Ganymede, Io, and Europa -- and Saturn's largest moon Titan.
   If you look very closely, the clear Chilescope image even captures
   Jupiter's Great Red Spot. The now-separating planets can still be seen
   remarkably close -- within about a degree -- as they set just after the
   Sun, toward the west, each night for the remainder of the year.

     Gallery: Notable images of the Great Conjunction submitted to APOD
                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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