August is a good time of the year to see Jupiter. Just after sunset, it’s the brightest object in its section of the south-eastern sky. So what’s going on here, then?

The featured image was taken about a month ago from the Persian Gulf. The image shows Jupiter just to the right of the nearly vertical band of the central disk of our Milky Way Galaxy. The unnamed rock formations appear in projection like the jaws of a giant monster ready to engulf the Jovian giant. When you see Jupiter, it may be interesting to know that NASA’s robotic Juno spacecraft is simultaneously visiting and studying the giant planet. Saturn is also visible this month, and although it is ‘nearby’ Jupiter, it is not as bright.

(Image: Mohammad S. Hayati)

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