Moon, Jupiter and Praesepe cluster (M44), optical image. High clouds in the upper part of the image are illuminated by the waning crescent Moon. The r

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Moon, Jupiter and Praesepe cluster (M44), optical image. High clouds in the upper part of the image are illuminated by the waning crescent Moon. The rest of the Moon is illuminated by \Earthshine\", sunlight reflected back onto the Moon from the Earth. The planet Jupiter is at lower right. Its four brightest moons, called Galilean moons after their discoverer Galileo, are seen in a near- vertical line around it. From top to bottom they are Ganymede, Io, Europa and Callisto. The stars at centre are part of the open cluster Praesepe, or the Beehive (M44), in the constellation Cancer. This large cluster contains up to 350 stars, and lies around 577 light years from Earth. Photographed on 4th September 2002."

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Size: 3318px × 2654px
Photo credit: © RUSSELL CROMAN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 04/09/2002, 2002, 4th, astronomical, astronomy, beehive, callisto, cancer, cloud, clouds, cloudy, cluster, conjunction, earthshine, europa, galilean, ganymede, gas, giant, io, jupiter, m44, moon, moons, night, open, planet, planetary, praesepe, september, sky, solar, space, star, stars, system