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Collection:
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NASA Cassini-Huygens Collection
Collection
NASA Cassini-Huygens Collection
Collection
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Title:
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August 2006: View of the Planets
Title
August 2006: View of the Planets
Title
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Description:
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August 2006: View of the Planets
description
August 2006: View of the Planets
Description
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Full Description:
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Just before the eastern sky brightens with sunrise, three planets and the waning crescent moon join the starry twilight tapestry. Then, as the bright stars of Gemini and Orion fade with oncoming dawn, the planets rise and shine.
About 45 minutes before sunrise on Aug. 20 to 22 the planets Venus, Mercury and Saturn dance on the ecliptic -- the plane of Earth's orbit and the imaginary line tracing it in the sky. The sun, moon and planets appear to move along this line.
Venus, rising an hour and a half before sunrise, is the easiest to see in the morning sky. Two hundred forty-one million kilometers (150 million miles) distant, Venus is Earth-sized.
Mercury, at a distance of 183 million kilometers (114 million miles), is the fastest and smallest of the inner planets and appears brighter than the more distant Saturn.
Saturn, 1,517 million kilometers (943 million miles) distant, was at conjunction with the sun just two weeks ago and now rises nearly an hour before sunrise.
On Aug. 26 and 27, Saturn pairs with much brighter Venus at dawn.
What other planets can we see in late August? Mars sets 45 minutes after sunset by month's end but is lost from view in the twilight, while brilliant Jupiter remains prominent as the only planet visible for a few hours during the late August evenings.
Credit: NASA/JPL
Full_Description
Just before the eastern sky brightens with sunrise, three planets and the waning crescent moon join the starry twilight tapestry. Then, as the bright stars of Gemini and Orion fade with oncoming dawn, the planets rise and shine.
About 45 minutes before sunrise on Aug. 20 to 22 the planets Venus, Mercury and Saturn dance on the ecliptic -- the plane of Earth's orbit and the imaginary line tracing it in the sky. The sun, moon and planets appear to move along this line.
Venus, rising an hour and a half before sunrise, is the easiest to see in the morning sky. Two hundred forty-one million kilometers (150 million miles) distant, Venus is Earth-sized.
Mercury, at a distance of 183 million kilometers (114 million miles), is the fastest and smallest of the inner planets and appears brighter than the more distant Saturn.
Saturn, 1,517 million kilometers (943 million miles) distant, was at conjunction with the sun just two weeks ago and now rises nearly an hour before sunrise.
On Aug. 26 and 27, Saturn pairs with much brighter Venus at dawn.
What other planets can we see in late August? Mars sets 45 minutes after sunset by month's end but is lost from view in the twilight, while brilliant Jupiter remains prominent as the only planet visible for a few hours during the late August evenings.
Credit: NASA/JPL
Full Description
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Date:
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August 18, 2006
Date
August 18, 2006
Date
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Keywords:
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gallery
keywords
gallery
Keywords
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Keywords:
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images
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Keywords:
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Cassini
keywords
Cassini
Keywords
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Keywords:
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mission
keywords
mission
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Huygens
keywords
Huygens
Keywords
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Keywords:
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probe
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Keywords:
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Saturn
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Keywords:
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explore
keywords
explore
Keywords
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Keywords:
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videos
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Keywords:
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movies
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Keywords:
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Jupiter
keywords
Jupiter
Keywords
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Keywords:
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flyby
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Keywords:
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spacecraft
keywords
spacecraft
Keywords
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Keywords:
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assembly
keywords
assembly
Keywords
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Keywords:
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launch
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Keywords:
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flight
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Keywords:
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operations facilities
keywords
operations facilities
Keywords
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Keywords:
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mpeg
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Keywords:
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Quicktime
keywords
Quicktime
Keywords
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facet_what:
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Saturn
facet_what
Saturn
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Cassini
facet_what
Cassini
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Jupiter
facet_what
Jupiter
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Huygens Probe
facet_what
Huygens Probe
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Moon
facet_what
Moon
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Mars
facet_what
Mars
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Mercury
facet_what
Mercury
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Dawn
facet_what
Dawn
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Gemini
facet_what
Gemini
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Orion
facet_what
Orion
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Venus
facet_what
Venus
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Saturn
facet_where
Saturn
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jupiter
facet_where
Jupiter
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Mars
facet_where
Mars
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Mercury
facet_where
Mercury
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Venus
facet_where
Venus
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
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facet_when:
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August 2006
facet_when
August 2006
facet_when
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facet_when:
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August 18, 2006
facet_when
August 18, 2006
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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2006
facet_when_year
2006
facet_when_year
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UID:
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SPD-SATRN-2236
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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