moon – Page 12 – Astronomy Now

Saturn’s moon Rhea radiant in the sunlight

1 August 2016 Astronomy Now

In this image from NASA’s Cassini probe, Saturn’s moon Rhea appears dazzlingly bright in full sunlight. This is the signature of the water ice that forms most of the moon’s surface.

A moon and stars at Saturn

23 July 2016 Astronomy Now

Numerous stars provide a serene background in this view of Saturn’s moon Enceladus captured by the Cassini spacecraft while the moon was in eclipse, within the ringed planet’s shadow.

Moon’s Imbrium Basin formed by protoplanet-sized asteroid impact

20 July 2016 Astronomy Now

Around 3.8 billion years ago, an asteroid more than 150 miles across slammed into the Moon and created the Imbrium Basin — the right eye of the fabled Man in the Moon. New research suggests an Imbrium impactor that was two times larger in diameter and 10 times more massive than previous estimates.

Let the Moon be your guide to finding Neptune on 23 July

18 July 2016 Ade Ashford

Outermost planet Neptune reaches opposition on 2 September 2016, this year marking the 170th anniversary of the gas giant’s discovery. But you don’t have to wait six week to observe the farthest known planet of the solar system, because the waning gibbous Moon drops close by in the small hours of Saturday, 23 July as seen from the British Isles.

Juno returns its first image of Jupiter since arriving in orbit

13 July 2016 Astronomy Now

NASA has released the first image from the Juno spacecraft since its arrival at Jupiter last week. It confirms that the probe’s camera survived its first pass through Jupiter’s extreme radiation environment.

Tethys Tops Saturn

12 July 2016 Astronomy Now

An illusion of perspective, Saturn’s moon Tethys seems to hang above the planet’s north pole in this view from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft.

NOAA satellite shows Moon crossing face of Earth for second time in a year

12 July 2016 Astronomy Now

On 5 July 2016, the Moon passed between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s DSCOVR satellite and Earth. NASA’s EPIC camera aboard DSCOVR snapped these images over a period of about four hours. In this set, the far side of the Moon, which is never seen from Earth, passes by. The last time EPIC captured this event was 16-17 July 2015.

See the Moon meet Mars and Saturn

10 July 2016 Ade Ashford

In the bright evening twilight of 14, 15 and 16 July, observers in the British Isles and Western Europe can see the waxing gibbous Moon pass by Mars, first-magnitude star Antares in Scorpius, then Saturn. This series of conjunctions occurs very low in the southern sky for UK-based astronomers, while Australasian observers are ideally placed to view the spectacle almost overhead.

Pandemonium in Saturn’s rings

8 July 2016 Astronomy Now

Pan and moons like it have profound effects on Saturn’s rings. The effects can range from clearing gaps, to creating new ringlets, to raising vertical waves that rise above and below the ring plane. All of these effects, produced by gravity, are seen in this image from the Cassini probe.

See the crescent Moon get close to Jupiter on Saturday, 9 July

6 July 2016 Ade Ashford

If the excitement of the Juno spacecraft’s arrival at Jupiter has prompted you to seek out the solar system’s largest planet, then the 5-day-old cresent Moon acts as a convenient celestial guide during the evening of Saturday, 9 July when it makes a close pass of the gas giant. Here’s our guide to where and when to see this beautiful celestial pairing.