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A probe in lunar orbit obtained an impressive close-up view of “great conjunction“of Jupiter and Saturn from Earth’s rocky satellite.
Monday (December 21), Jupiter and Saturn they appeared closer in the night sky than they had in about 800 years during what is known as a “great conjunction.” People from all over the world observed and photographed the planets, which looked like almost a single bright “star” in the sky. However, we Earthlings weren’t the only ones to get a heavenly show.
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which launched in 2009 and has enough fuel to keep orbiting the moon for another six years, detected the cosmic event from the moon.
Related: This is what Jupiter and Saturn look like from Mars
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) narrow angle camera (NAC) captured an incredible image of the two planets just hours after the pair’s closest separation point (0.1 degrees), which occurred at TK. Now, while Jupiter and Saturn may have looked like a bright orb to the naked eye, with the detailed view of the NAC, it is possible to clearly resolve the individual planets. In fact, the image provides so much detail that even Saturn’s rings can be faintly seen.
Here on Earth, sky watchers were able to see Jupiter’s moons with DSLR cameras and even basic telescopes, although Saturn’s rings were generally only visible with higher-powered telescopes.
When the NAC captured this image of the two planets, Jupiter was about four times brighter than Saturn, so the brightness of the original image was adjusted so that they were both equally visible.
While Jupiter and Saturn have a close conjunction once every 20 years, the planets have not appeared this close since 1623. Also, the planetary alignment occurred just days before Christmas, with many calling the bright event a “Christmas Star. “, adding even more to the astronomical excitement.
Email Chelsea Gohd at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
