'Earthshine' Lights the Way to Saturn's Moon Iapetus in Stunning Night-Sky Photo

[Judi Lynn]

By Miguel Claro 9 hours ago Skywatching

Peekaboo! I see you, Iapetus.



Bright Earthshine illuminates the waning crescent moon as Saturn peeks over its upper limb in this night-sky photo taken shortly after the moon occulted the planet on Feb. 2.

During a lunar occultation, the moon passes in front of a planet, star or other celestial object, temporarily blocking it from view. When the moon occulted Saturn on Feb. 2, I photographed the event from the hotel Nave Terra in Alandroal, Portugal, which is part of the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve.

Saturn is visible near the upper right edge of the moon and looks like a white-yellow oblong dot. If you look closely, you can see Iapetus, Saturn's outermost moon, which looks like a tiny, faint star right next to Saturn.

A close-up view captured with a telephoto lens shows a more detailed version of this scene. Along with a better view of Iapetus, this image features more faint stars surrounding the moon's disk — something that is not possible to witness when the moon is nearly full due to the increased light.

More:
https://www.space.com/moon-occults-saturn-iapetus-earthshine-photo.html?utm_source=notification

[Sherman A1]

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