ISS, Moon, Planets and Pyramids
August 03, 2010
Photographer: Aymen Ibrahem
Summary Author: Aymen Ibrahem; Jim Foster
The photo above showing the International Space Station (ISS), the waxing Moon and several planets parading across the summer sky was captured from the Plateau of Giza, Egypt on July 16, 2010. Venus, just above the Second Pyramid (Chephren), is the brightest object other than the nearly half-lit Moon. Saturn is above and to the right of the Moon, and coppery Mars lies in between Venus and Saturn. All are in the plane of the ecliptic, which happens to be almost perpendicular to the side face of Chephren. For a few days after this photo was taken, these three planets were in very close proximity to one another in the western sky. Note that the Sphinx and pyramids are bathed in blue and green light as part of nightly laser displays.
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