Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Crescent Neptune and Triton

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 27, 2023 is “Crescent Neptune and Triton,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NASA , Voyager 2. The original explanation runs about 97 words.

The picture shows the planet Neptune and its moon Triton, both in crescent phases, as captured by the passing Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1989. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , Voyager 2 Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Gliding through the outer Solar System , in 1989 the Voyager 2 spacecraft looked toward the Sun to find this view of most distant planet Neptune and its moon Triton together in a crescent phase. The elegant image of ice-giant planet and largest moon was taken from behind just after Voyager’s closest approach .”

— APOD editors, May 27, 2023

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
May 27, 2023
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , Voyager 2
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 97 words

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Topics in this entry

The Sun

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: May 27 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.