Posted in other

Jupiter Saturn conjunct Australian man photographed the International Space Station crossing from it

 2020年12月30日

Residents of Kolkata (India) line up to see the grand conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on Dec. 21, 2020.

Jupiter and Saturn conjunct on Dec. 21, the closest the two planets have been in 800 years, attracting astronomy fans from around the world. An Australian photographer captured an interesting image of the International Space Station passing just between the two planets.

Rice University astronomer Patrick Hartigan previously said that Jupiter and Saturn have been approaching each other in the Earth’s sky since summer. From Dec. 16 to 25, the two planets are no more than the size of the diameter of the full moon in the sky.

This is a large conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn taken on Dec. 21, 2020, in Los Angeles, Calif. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

While most astronomy fans are trying to observe the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction, Australian photographer Jason De Freitas had a different idea.

He learned that if viewed from the right angle, the International Space Station would pass through the narrow space between Jupiter and Saturn, and that consistent photography would capture the station’s path between the two stars. Capturing such rare images requires careful advance planning.

On December 17, Freitas drove an hour to the ideal location, then set up his camera and lens and waited for this once-in-a-century sighting.

At 9:53:05 p.m., Freitas began a 10-second sequence of shots that captured the International Space Station crossing between Jupiter and Saturn.

The two bright spots at the bottom of the image are Jupiter and Saturn, with Jupiter on the left and Saturn on the right, and a line in between them that shows the ISS moving in its path. And the moon is high above.

Freitas shared the photo on the Instagram website. He wrote that this photo opportunity is once in a lifetime.

Freitas also shared the image of the International Space Station moving between Jupiter and Saturn on YouTube, while revealing details about the location, time and camera model. He said, “This is probably the most unique image I’ve ever taken.”