Moon, Mercury, Jupiter & Mars

Moon, Mercury, Jupiter & Mars Conjunction Sunrise - The Moon rose in predawn skies sporting a sunlit crescent. It also offered a tantalizing view of earthshine, the dark portion of the lunar disk illuminated by sunlight reflected from the Earth. On that morning a remarkable conjunction with three wandering planets added an impressive touch to the celestial scene. Along with the waning crescent Moon, the picture captures (top to bottom) bright Mercury, Jupiter, and Mars. — at lmage Credit: Mike Salway/NASA (New South Wales, Australia - Feb. '09).