The orbits of Jupiter’s large Galilean moons Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto are presently almost edge-on to our line of sight, causing the moons to regularly eclipse and occult each other. Multiple shadow transits are also on view!
NASA uses modern processing techniques to rework a mosaic of images sent back by the Galileo spacecraft in the late 1990s, delivering a high-resolution view of this icy ocean world in natural colours.
A new analysis of data from NASA’s Cassini mission in combination with lab experiments contradicts the leading theory that the striking colour of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is due to reddish chemicals upwelling from below.
The coming together of a bright planet with a thin crescent Moon is an event well worth seeing, even if you have to set the alarm clock for an early wake up.
Venus has a close encounter with first magnitude star Regulus, constellation Leo’s luminary, in the dawn twilight on the mornings of 5 and 6 September.