APOD: Interplanetary Earth (2024 Nov 23)

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APOD Robot
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APOD: Interplanetary Earth (2024 Nov 23)

Post by APOD Robot » Sat Nov 23, 2024 5:06 am

Image Interplanetary Earth

Explanation: In an interplanetary first, on July 19, 2013 Earth was photographed on the same day from two other worlds of the Solar System, innermost planet Mercury and ringed gas giant Saturn. Pictured on the left, Earth is the pale blue dot just below the rings of Saturn, as captured by the robotic Cassini spacecraft then orbiting the outermost gas giant. On that same day people across planet Earth snapped many of their own pictures of Saturn. On the right, the Earth-Moon system is seen against the dark background of space as captured by the sunward MESSENGER spacecraft, then in Mercury orbit. MESSENGER took its image as part of a search for small natural satellites of Mercury, moons that would be expected to be quite dim. In the MESSENGER image, the brighter Earth and Moon are both overexposed and shine brightly with reflected sunlight. Destined not to return to their home world, both Cassini and MESSENGER have since retired from their missions of Solar System exploration.

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pods

Re: APOD: Interplanetary Earth (2024 Nov 23)

Post by pods » Sat Nov 23, 2024 9:27 pm

The arrow on earth is pointing to a star. Earth, and the moon are below and to the right.

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johnnydeep
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Re: APOD: Interplanetary Earth (2024 Nov 23)

Post by johnnydeep » Sat Nov 23, 2024 9:54 pm

pods wrote: Sat Nov 23, 2024 9:27 pm The arrow on earth is pointing to a star. Earth, and the moon are below and to the right.
Why do you say that? The "Pictured" linked page seems certain that the Earth and Moon are where the arrow is pointing.
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