Science
Related: About this forumJupiter rules the evening sky.
We are in the midst of the western cold snap. I've been walking the dogs around the fields about 5pm, the day is gone, but it's not quite dark enough to say dusk has taken hold. Jupiter at magnitude -2.7 shines like a beacon in the sky to the East, well below zenith. After 5 minutes or so, a few scattered stars appear and then a pinkish Aldebaran peeks out below Jupiter.
Last evening as I watched the display unfold, I mused about the wonder of the times we live in. Documented observations of Jupiter date back to the 7th or 8th century BCE. There is a claim that a Chinese visual discovery of a moon of Jupiter was made in 362 BCE. Only in the last 50 years have we begun to understand the complexities of the Jovian system. And now, we can fully appreciate the relationship of Jupiter to our planet through photographs from space capturing both systems.
On return from the walk I poked around and found this article on Earth and Jupiter Seen in a Single Photo Taken From Mars.
Here's the enlarged view pointed to by the red arrow.
Heres a to-scale size comparison:
MAGIC!
samsingh
(17,571 posts)mindwalker_i
(4,407 posts)when God goes to Taco Bell.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)"Basically, if it's really, really bright and it's in the middle of the sky in the middle of the night, it's gotta be Jupiter"
krispos42
(49,445 posts)Damn, we live in interesting times!
xocet
(3,870 posts)DreamGypsy
(2,252 posts)... organized by year and month can be found here: http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/
The Jupiter - Earth conjunction photos from May 2003 is here: http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2003/05/22/index.html
Data and discussion is included with the photos. Enjoy.