This is the latest image from SOHO. The disc in the middle is blocking out the Sun. The lines on the planets are not rings!
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of NASA
SOHO Catches Planetary Alignment
News story originally written on May 10, 2000
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) will give us a special treat
this month. On May 15, it will capture Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn
together in what scientists call a conjunction. They will all be on the opposite
side of the Sun.
You can watch the show on both the internet and NASA TV. The original
show was on May 5, but NASA will have updated videos on May 12, and May 15.
If you'd rather not wait until then, the SOHO
Home Page has some images.
You might also be interested in:
It was another exciting and frustrating year for the space science program. It seemed that every step forward led to one backwards. Either way, NASA led the way to a great century of discovery. Unfortunately,
...more
The Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on October 29th at 2:19 p.m. EST. The weather was great as Discovery took 8 1/2 minutes to reach orbit. This was the United States' 123rd
...more
A moon was discovered orbiting the asteroid, Eugenia. This is only the second time in history that a satellite has been seen circling an asteroid. A special mirror allowed scientists to find the moon
...more
Will Russia ever put the service module for the International Space Station in space? NASA officials want an answer from the Russian government. The necessary service module is currently waiting to be
...more
A coronal mass ejection (CME) happened on the Sun early last month. The material that was thrown out from this explosion passed the ACE spacecraft. The SWICS instrument on ACE has produced a new and very
...more
J.S. Maini of the Canadian Forest Service called forests the "heart and lungs of the world." This is because forests filter air and water pollution, absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen, and maintain
...more
In late April through mid-May 2002, all five naked-eye planets are visible at the same time in the night sky! This is includes Mercury which is generally very hard to see. You won't want to miss this!
...more
