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Collection:
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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Collection
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Collection
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Title:
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A Sky Full Of Planets
Title
A Sky Full Of Planets
Title
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Explanation:
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Look up tonight [ http://www.cnn.com/…]. Just after sunset, the crescent moon and all five "naked-eye" planets (Mercury [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], Venus [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], and Saturn [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]) will be visible (depending on your latitude), lying near our solar system's ecliptic plane [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Venus and Jupiter will shine brilliantly as the brightest "stars" in the sky, but Mercury will be near the horizon and hard to see. A pair of binoculars will also reveal Uranus and Neptune and observers with a telescope and a good site may even be able to glimpse faint Pluto just above the Western horizon in the fading twilight (not shown on the chart above). Enjoy this lovely spectacle any clear night [ http://www.skypub.c…] through about December 8. A similar gathering is expected in May 2000 [ http://www.skypub.c…] but the planets will be hidden from view by the solar glare. A night sky as full of planets as this one will occur again though ... in about 100 years.
Explanation
Look up tonight [ http://www.cnn.com/…]. Just after sunset, the crescent moon and all five "naked-eye" planets (Mercury [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], Venus [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], and Saturn [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]) will be visible (depending on your latitude), lying near our solar system's ecliptic plane [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Venus and Jupiter will shine brilliantly as the brightest "stars" in the sky, but Mercury will be near the horizon and hard to see. A pair of binoculars will also reveal Uranus and Neptune and observers with a telescope and a good site may even be able to glimpse faint Pluto just above the Western horizon in the fading twilight (not shown on the chart above). Enjoy this lovely spectacle any clear night [ http://www.skypub.c…] through about December 8. A similar gathering is expected in May 2000 [ http://www.skypub.c…] but the planets will be hidden from view by the solar glare. A night sky as full of planets as this one will occur again though ... in about 100 years. Explanation
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Credit and Copyright:
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Credit_and_Copyright
Credit and Copyright
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keyword:
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planets
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keyword:
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solar system
keyword
solar system
keyword
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keyword:
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ecliptic
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facet_when:
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May 2000
facet_when
May 2000
facet_when
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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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Pluto
facet_where
Pluto
facet_where
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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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Venus
facet_where
Venus
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Uranus
facet_where
Uranus
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_where
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Washington, D.C.
facet_where
Washington, D.C.
facet_where
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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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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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Pluto
facet_what
Pluto
facet_what
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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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Carina
facet_what
Carina
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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Neptune
facet_what
Neptune
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Venus
facet_what
Venus
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Uranus
facet_what
Uranus
facet_what
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facet_when_year:
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2000
facet_when_year
2000
facet_when_year
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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UID:
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SPD-APOD-ap971204
UID
SPD-APOD-ap971204
UID
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