2019 June 8
On the Beach with Mars
Image Credit &
Copyright:
Jack Fusco
Explanation:
At the end of last year's northern summer, after its dazzling
opposition, Mars
still shone brightly in the night.
The celestial beacon easily attracted the attention
of these two night skygazers who
stood still for just a while, but long enough to be captured
in the sea and night skyscape from Big Sur, planet Earth.
Its central bulge near the southwestern horizon,
the Milky Way runs through the scene too,
while the long exposure also reveals a faint blue bioluminescence
blooming in the waves along Pfeiffer Beach.
Now much fainter, Mars can be spotted near
the western horizon after sunset, but
this month Jupiter
is near its closest and brightest,
reaching its own opposition on June 10.
Night skygazers can spot
brilliant Jupiter over southern horizons,
glaring next to the stars toward
the central Milky Way.