Robby
03-10-2008, 10:46 AM
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0803/planetalignment_white.jpg (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0803/planetalignment_white_big.jpg)
Planets Align Over Australian Radio Telescope Array
Credit & Copyright: Graeme L. White (http://www.jcu.edu.au/school/mathphys/astronomy/graemehome.shtml) & Glen Cozens (James Cook University (http://www.jcu.edu.au/school/mathphys/astronomy/))
Explanation: Last week, Mercury (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080127.html), Venus (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070704.html), and the Moon (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080112.html) all appeared close together in Earth's sky. This picturesque conjunction was caught on camera behind elements of the Australia Telescope Compact Array (http://www.narrabri.atnf.csiro.au/) (ATCA) near the town of Narrabri in rural New South Wales. The ATCA (http://www.narrabri.atnf.csiro.au/public/) consists of six radio telescopes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_telescopes) in total, each one larger than a house. Together they form one of the highest resolution measurement devices in the world. Impressive (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050624.html) planetary (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020510.html) conjunctions (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020429.html) occur every few years. Involving the brightest objects in the night sky, this alignment was easy to spot just before sunrise. In the picture, taken on the morning of March 6, Mercury (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080204.html) is the highest of the three bright celestial beacons.
(Via NASA (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080310.html))
Planets Align Over Australian Radio Telescope Array
Credit & Copyright: Graeme L. White (http://www.jcu.edu.au/school/mathphys/astronomy/graemehome.shtml) & Glen Cozens (James Cook University (http://www.jcu.edu.au/school/mathphys/astronomy/))
Explanation: Last week, Mercury (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080127.html), Venus (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070704.html), and the Moon (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080112.html) all appeared close together in Earth's sky. This picturesque conjunction was caught on camera behind elements of the Australia Telescope Compact Array (http://www.narrabri.atnf.csiro.au/) (ATCA) near the town of Narrabri in rural New South Wales. The ATCA (http://www.narrabri.atnf.csiro.au/public/) consists of six radio telescopes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_telescopes) in total, each one larger than a house. Together they form one of the highest resolution measurement devices in the world. Impressive (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050624.html) planetary (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020510.html) conjunctions (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020429.html) occur every few years. Involving the brightest objects in the night sky, this alignment was easy to spot just before sunrise. In the picture, taken on the morning of March 6, Mercury (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080204.html) is the highest of the three bright celestial beacons.
(Via NASA (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080310.html))