Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                              2025 September 25
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                           Saturn Opposite the Sun
                  Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Jin Wang

   Explanation: This year [5]Saturn was at opposition on September 21,
   opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. At its closest to Earth, Saturn
   was also at its brightest of the year, rising as the Sun set and
   shining above the horizon all night long among the fainter stars of the
   constellation Pisces. In this snapshot from the [6]Qinghai Lenghu
   Observatory, Tibetan Plateau, southwestern China, the outer planet is
   immersed in a faint, diffuse oval of light known as [7]the gegenschein
   or counter glow. The diffuse gegenschein is produced by sunlight
   backscattered by [8]interplanetary dust along the Solar System's
   [9]ecliptic plane, opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. Like a giant
   eye, on this dark night Saturn and gegenschein seem to stare down on
   the observatory's telescope domes seen against a colorful background of
   airglow along the horizon.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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    Authors & editors: [21]Robert Nemiroff ([22]MTU) & [23]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([24]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [25]Specific rights apply.
            [26]NASA Web Privacy, [27]Accessibility, [28]Notices;
                A service of: [29]ASD at [30]NASA / [31]GSFC,
                         [32]NASA Science Activation
                           & [33]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2509/DSC05293.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. mailto: royalk86 gmail
   5. https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/saturn-at-opposition-closest-brightest-best/
   6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wide_Field_Survey_Telescope
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080507.html
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210311.html
   9. https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/planetary-alignments-and-planet-parades/#hds-sidebar-nav-1
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250924.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  14. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  16. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  19. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250925
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250926.html
  21. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  22. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  23. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  24. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  26. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  29. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  32. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  33. http://www.mtu.edu/