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A come across new photo captures a colored conjunctive ofVenusandthe moonstealing the show in the dark sky over Paris — even outshining competition from an iconic illuminated landmark . The incredible double is the result of a rare " parade of major planet " that will peak later this month .
French astrophotographer Gwenaël Blanck took the stunning dead reckoning at around 8:00 p.m. local time on Feb. 1 from the banks of the Seine river . It show a bright crescent moon andone of our close global neighborsalmost utterly aligned with a shaft of blue spark shooting into the sky from the top of the Eiffel Tower .
Venus and a crescent moon lit up the night sky above Paris on Feb. 1.
" This is one of the rare celestial events that make people look up even under light - polluted sky , " Blanck indite onInstagram . " A hatful of tourists and passer - by were admire the scenery while I was fritter . "
Saturnis also visible in the image as a dim spotlight to the right wing of the Eiffel Tower . However , it was much harder to spot than the other celestial objects .
Related : Have all 8 planets ever ordinate ?
Saturn was also captured in the photo but was extremely difficult to see with the naked eye.
" The Moon ( with a beautiful Earthshine ) and Venus could not be missed , but Saturn was right smart more unmanageable to see , peculiarly in the unclouded befoulment , " Blanck write .
Earthshineis a phenomenon where the dark portions of the moon ’s Earth - facing side are illuminated by light source contemplate off our planet . This principally happens for a few years on either side of a new moon and is most intelligibly seeable in the Northern Hemisphere in spring , according toNASA ’s Earth Observatory .
Planetary parade
We are currently in the midst of one of the most telling terrestrial alignment events in recent years . Under the right circumstance , fiveplanets — Mercury , Venus , Mars , Jupiter and Saturn — will be seeable to the naked eye over the next few calendar week . The other twosolar systemworlds , Uranus and Neptune , are also present in the night sky but require a sound scope to see alongside their brighter neighbor .
The upshot has already deliver some special shots , including analignment of six of the seven planets in recent January , but the parade will not peak until late February and early March , when all seven planets will array in a close - uncoiled line along the celestial horizon , allot toLive Science ’s baby site Space.com .
— An interstellar visitor may have changed the course of 4 solar system planets , study advise
— Scientists still do n’t in full understand why some planet have one C of moons while others have none
— 5 Earth - like creation may lurk in the outer reaches of the solar system , simulations suggest
Venus will be thebrightest satellite in the nighttime skyduring this period and is locate closest to the Sun Myung Moon in the sky , making it easy to spot on most clear nights .
If you want to see the best of the planetary parade for yourself , we recommend using adecent telescopeor a pair ofstargazing binoculars .
The next time we will see a similar alignment of the planets will be October 2028 .
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