Click here to enlarge

image credit & copyright: Tunç Tezel (TWAN)




for 360º degrees, a view along the plane of the ecliptic is captured in this remarkable panorama, with seven planets in a starry sky

the mosaic was constructed using images taken during january 24-26, from Nacpan Beach, El Nido in Palawan, Philippines

it covers the eastern horizon (left) in dark early morning hours and the western horizon in evening skies

while the ecliptic runs along the middle traced by a faint band of zodiacal light, the Milky Way also cuts at angles through the frame

clouds and the Moon join fleeting planet Mercury in the east

yellowish Saturn, bright star Antares, and Jupiter lie near the ecliptic farther right

hugging the ecliptic near center are Leo's alpha star Regulus and star cluster M44

the evening planets gathered along the ecliptic above the western horizon, are faint Uranus, ruddy Mars, brilliant Venus, and even fainter Neptune


well labeled version of the panorama: Click here to enlarge

































in apod.nasa.gov/apod