                        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.

                                 2026 May 6
     The image shows two parellel rings of bright dots in the night sky.
   This is a composite image of the positions Saturn and Neptune traced in
       the sky from May 2025 to January 2026. The brighter ring in the
      foreground is Saturn, while the dimmer ring in the background is
     Neptune. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                 The Retrograde Dance of Saturn and Neptune
                 Image Credit & Copyright: Tunç Tezel (TWAN)
         Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)

   Explanation: What does it mean for Saturn and Neptune to be in
   retrograde? Featured is a composite of images taken over 34 nights from
   May 2025 to February 2026 tracing Saturn (brighter, foreground) and
   Neptune (dimmer, background). Over that time, the two planets exhibited
   retrograde motion, meaning they appeared to move backward in the sky.
   This apparent backwards motion occurs when Earth overtakes the slower
   outer planets as they orbit the Sun. Imagine the Solar System is a
   running track. Earth "runs" faster along the inside of the track
   compared to the outer planets. As Earth approaches, aligns, and then
   "laps" the outer planets, they change position from ahead to behind
   from the Earth's perspective. This perspective shift is what causes the
   outer planets to change position in the night sky. An animation
   corresponding to today’s image shows Saturn and Neptune’s months-long
   dance across the northern night sky. Saturn stepped from the Pisces
   constellation into Aquarius and back again while Neptune remained in
   Pisces. This is the closest Saturn and Neptune have been in the sky
   since their last conjunction in 1989.

               Tomorrow's picture: spiralling into a supernova
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

