Explanation: Wandering planets Venus and Jupiter were joined by
an old crescent Moon near the eastern horizon on July 15. This
serene southern skyview of the much anticipated predawn
conjunction includes the lovely Pleiades star cluster and bright
stars Aldebaran and Betelgeuse in the celestial lineup. For help
identifying the stars and constellations, just slide your cursor
over the image. Of course, the radio telescope in the foreground
is the Parkes 64 meter dish of New South Wales, Australia. Known
for its exploration of the distant Universe at radio
wavelengths, the large, steerable antenna is also famous for its
superior lunar television reception. On July 21, 1969 the dish
received broadcasts from the Moon that allowed denizens of
planet Earth to watch the Apollo 11 moonwalk. |<< Previous
APOD||This Day in APOD||Next APOD >>|