APOD: Jupiter and the Moons (2019 Oct 05)

Comments and questions about the APOD on the main view screen.
Post Reply
User avatar
APOD Robot
Otto Posterman
Posts: 5345
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 3:27 am
Contact:

APOD: Jupiter and the Moons (2019 Oct 05)

Post by APOD Robot » Sat Oct 05, 2019 4:13 am

Image Jupiter and the Moons

Explanation: After sunset on October 3, some of the Solar System's largest moons stood low along the western horizon with the largest planet. Just after nightfall, a pairing of the Moon approaching first quarter phase and Jupiter was captured in this telephoto field of view. A blend of short and long exposures, it reveals the familiar face of our fair planet's own large natural satellite in stark sunlight and faint earthshine. At lower right are the ruling gas giant and its four Galilean moons. Left to right, the tiny pinpricks of light are Ganymede, [Jupiter], Io, Europa, and Callisto. Our own natural satellite appears to loom large because it's close, but Ganymede, Io, and Callisto are actually larger than Earth's Moon. Water world Europa is only slightly smaller. Of the Solar System's six largest planetary satellites, only Saturn's moon Titan, is missing from this scene. But be sure to check for large moons in your sky tonight.

<< Previous APOD This Day in APOD Next APOD >>

User avatar
orin stepanek
Plutopian
Posts: 8200
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:41 pm
Location: Nebraska

Re: APOD: Jupiter and the Moons (2019 Oct 05)

Post by orin stepanek » Sat Oct 05, 2019 12:04 pm

I like it! 8-)
Orin

Smile today; tomorrow's another day!

BDanielMayfield
Don't bring me down
Posts: 2524
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2012 11:24 am
AKA: Bruce
Location: East Idaho

Re: APOD: Jupiter and the Moons (2019 Oct 05)

Post by BDanielMayfield » Sat Oct 05, 2019 2:15 pm

Have photos of all six large moons in the same frame been taken?
Just as zero is not equal to infinity, everything coming from nothing is illogical.

User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Re: APOD: Jupiter and the Moons (2019 Oct 05)

Post by neufer » Sat Oct 05, 2019 2:48 pm

BDanielMayfield wrote: Sat Oct 05, 2019 2:15 pm
Have photos of all six large moons in the same frame been taken?
Probably...but since Titan is more than 10 times dimmer than Jupiter's large moons
it would require some processing to see them all at once.
Art Neuendorffer

User avatar
Psnarf
Science Officer
Posts: 320
Joined: Fri Feb 26, 2010 6:19 pm

Re: APOD: Jupiter and the Moons (2019 Oct 05)

Post by Psnarf » Sat Oct 05, 2019 3:30 pm

What is that dot just to the right of the Moon, Saturn?

User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Re: APOD: Jupiter and the Moons (2019 Oct 05)

Post by neufer » Sat Oct 05, 2019 4:14 pm

Psnarf wrote: Sat Oct 05, 2019 3:30 pm
What is that dot just to the right of the Moon, Saturn?
  • ξ Ophiuchi ?
Art Neuendorffer

User avatar
JohnD
Tea Time, Guv! Cheerio!
Posts: 1578
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 2:11 pm
Location: Lancaster, England

Re: APOD: Jupiter and the Moons (2019 Oct 05)

Post by JohnD » Sat Oct 05, 2019 4:19 pm

The eye is superior to the emulsion, or digital camera equivalent, which is why this picture is "A blend of short and long exposures"
Could the eye have seen this, down the appropriate telescope to achieve the same magnification?

If not, then I submit, M'Luds, that this is another picture where art has conquered science.
John

User avatar
Chris Peterson
Abominable Snowman
Posts: 18112
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:13 pm
Location: Guffey, Colorado, USA
Contact:

Re: APOD: Jupiter and the Moons (2019 Oct 05)

Post by Chris Peterson » Sat Oct 05, 2019 9:53 pm

JohnD wrote: Sat Oct 05, 2019 4:19 pm The eye is superior to the emulsion, or digital camera equivalent, which is why this picture is "A blend of short and long exposures"
Could the eye have seen this, down the appropriate telescope to achieve the same magnification?

If not, then I submit, M'Luds, that this is another picture where art has conquered science.
John
The eye is significantly inferior to modern electronic sensors. It is lower resolution, it has poor optical quality, it has low quantum efficiency, and it has poor dynamic range. Do not confuse the ability of the eye with the ways that our visual processing system can make up for this, allowing our brains to construct an image that bears little resemblance to what is on the retina itself.

In short, you could not see an image like this with your eye, except by moving your eye around between the different parts and letting your brain paint a larger image. But this image captures rather well how you would perceive this scene through a small telescope (like a pair of binoculars). Eye or camera, either requires post processing to produce a realistic image.
Chris

*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
https://www.cloudbait.com

khh

Re: APOD: Jupiter and the Moons (2019 Oct 05)

Post by khh » Sat Oct 05, 2019 10:23 pm

Beautiful. Too bad we are not allowed on Europa.

User avatar
alter-ego
Serendipitous Sleuthhound
Posts: 1119
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2008 4:51 am
Location: Redmond, WA

Re: APOD: Jupiter and the Moons (2019 Oct 05)

Post by alter-ego » Sun Oct 06, 2019 2:58 am

neufer wrote: Sat Oct 05, 2019 4:14 pm
Psnarf wrote: Sat Oct 05, 2019 3:30 pm
What is that dot just to the right of the Moon, Saturn?
  • ξ Ophiuchi ?
An ID for the brightest star (mag~7) to the right if the moon is HIP 84198. 4th magnitude ξ Oph (Aggia) is about 1° beyond the upper left corner (1.5° from the moon).
A pessimist is nothing more than an experienced optimist

User avatar
rj rl
Ensign
Posts: 74
Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2013 3:37 am

Re: APOD: Jupiter and the Moons (2019 Oct 05)

Post by rj rl » Mon Oct 07, 2019 4:34 pm

The links to the discussion, the previous and next day are all the same as for the Oct 04 page :roll:

Post Reply