                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2023 January 2
   The featured image is a wide-angle image featuring a Turkish village in
   the foreground and a sky containing off of planets in our Solar System
       in the background. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                         After Sunset Planet Parade
                 Image Credit & Copyright: Tunc Tezel (TWAN)

   Explanation: Look up tonight and see a whole bunch of planets. Just
   after sunset, looking west, planets Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars
   will all be simultaneously visible. Listed west to east, this planetary
   lineup will have Venus nearest the horizon, but setting shortly after
   the Sun. It doesn't matter where on Earth you live because this early
   evening planet parade will be visible through clear skies all around
   the globe. Taken late last month, the featured image captured all of
   these planets and more: the Moon and planet Mercury were also
   simultaneously visible. Below visibility were the planets Neptune and
   Uranus, making this a nearly all-planet panorama. In the foreground are
   hills around the small village of Gkeren, Kas, Turkey, near the
   Mediterranean coast. Bright stars Altair, Fomalhaut, and Aldebaran are
   also prominent, as well as the Pleiades star cluster. Venus will rise
   higher in the sky at sunset as January continues, but Saturn will
   descend.

                       Tomorrow's picture: stars align
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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