Explanation:
Four bright celestial beacons and a faint triangle of light
follow the plane of the ecliptic as it arcs high through this
southern hemisphere
night skyscape.
Seen on a July winter night from Lake Taupo on New Zealand's North
Island, the line-up features Venus,
Regulus (alpha star of Leo),
Mars, and
Saturn from lower left to upper right.
Just put your cursor over the picture to identify the planets and
constellations.
The delicate luminous glow of Zodiacal Light,
sunlight scattered
by dust along the ecliptic, also rises above the horizon
from the lower left.
Of course, defined by the
path of the Sun
through planet Earth's sky,
the ecliptic plane rides low during July nights in the
northern hemisphere's summer skies.
Tomorrow, the Moon and Sun will meet
on the ecliptic.
Along a track across the southern Pacific Ocean, the
daytime sky will feature a
total solar eclipse.
Total Solar Eclipse:
Times
and Visibility |
Webcast
