Planet Trails

May 3, 2002

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A total of 6 planets are seen here! Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus and Mercury leave trails in this long time exposure as they set behind a distant mountain range in the Arizona desert, 30 miles outside of Phoenix. Planet Earth in the foreground does not leave a trail because the camera is traveling with it, but cars moving along a highway in the distance leave their own trails on its surface. The planet trails are not only aesthetically pleasing, they also convey scientific information about the planets:

The trails make it easier to see the relative brightness of the planets, from brilliant Venus (magnitude -3.75) to dim Mars (magnitude +1.64).
The trails accentuate the subtle color differences between the planets.
The trails form curved arcs centered on the north pole because this part of the ecliptic is north of the celestial equator.

This photograph also appeared on NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day site on May 10, 2002.

Date: May 3, 2002
Time: 8:14 - 9:05 p.m. MST
Location: Maricopa, Arizona
Camera: Olympus OM-1 on fixed tripod
Film: Fuji Provia 100 slide
Lens: 40mm
Exposure: f/4 for 20 seconds, lens covered for 5 minutes, f/5.6 with polarizing filter for 45 minutes
Scanner: Nikon Coolscan LS-10E