Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

The Retrograde Dance of Saturn and Neptune

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 6, 2026 is “The Retrograde Dance of Saturn and Neptune,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Tunç Tezel ( TWAN ) Text: Keighley Rockcliffe ( NASA GSFC , UMBC CSST , CRESST II )). The original explanation runs about 182 words.

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 dimm
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Tunç Tezel ( TWAN ) Text: Keighley Rockcliffe ( NASA GSFC , UMBC CSST , CRESST II ) Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the 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).”

— APOD editors, May 6, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
May 6, 2026
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Tunç Tezel ( TWAN ) Text: Keighley Rockcliffe ( NASA GSFC , UMBC CSST , CRESST II )
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 182 words

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Topics in this entry

Saturn

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: May 6 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.