Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Hydra (Hya)  ·  Contains:  Extremely wide field
APOD: 2016 August 16 - Five Planets and the Moon over Australia, Alex Cherney
APOD: 2016 August 16 - Five Planets and the Moon over Australia
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APOD: 2016 August 16 - Five Planets and the Moon over Australia

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It is not a coincidence that planets line up. That's because all of the planets orbit the Sun in (nearly) a single sheet called the plane of the ecliptic. When viewed from inside that plane -- as Earth dwellers are likely to do -- the planets all appear confined to a single band. It is a coincidence, though, when several of the brightest planets all appear in nearly the same direction. Such a coincidence was captured last week. Featured above, six planets and Earth's Moon were all imaged together last week, just after sunset, from Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia. A second band is visible across the top of this tall image -- the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy.

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APOD: 2016 August 16 - Five Planets and the Moon over Australia, Alex Cherney