Explanation:
Tracking through
the constellation Leo on February 23rd,
bright planet Saturn and
Comet Lulin
were both near
opposition -- opposite the Sun in
planet Earth's sky.
They also passed within only 2 degrees of each other
creating a dramatic
celestial photo-op.
Comet Lulin was near its closest approach to planet Earth at
the time, at a distance of some 61 million kilometers, but
was
orbiting in the opposite direction.
As a result it swept remarkably rapidly
across the
background of stars.
This telephoto
image captures both bright Saturn and greenish
Lulin in the same field in a scene not too different from
binocular views.
Don't recognize
ringed Saturn?
The rings are presently tilted nearly edge-on to our
view and the brighter planet is overexposed to record details
of the fainter comet.
At the upper right, Saturn is marked by multiple diffraction
spikes created by the aperture blades in the telephoto lens.
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