Explanation:
Leo's royal star Regulus and
red
planet Mars appear in a
colorful pairing just above the horizon in this starry
skyscape.
The
photo was taken on June 4th from Oraman, a
mountainous
region of Kurdistan in western Iran near the border with Iraq.
The marked color
contrast between Mars and the bright blue star
was easy to discern by eye, but is further
enhanced in the picture
through the use of a diffusion filter.
Otherwise dominating the western evening sky,
brilliant Venus has already
set below the mountains in the scene.
Saturn still shines in the night though,
farther eastward along the ecliptic plane.
Sliding your cursor over the picture will identify the
planets, the
stars of Leo,
and a long-recognized
star
cluster in Coma Berenices.
Poll:
Which of last week's APODs should be the APOW?
