Earth’s moon, Jupiter, and Jupiter’s moons Göran Strand

Earth’s full moon looms large in the night’s sky sharing the frame with the bright light of Jupiter and the illuminated specks of its four Galilean moons: Callisto, Europa, Ganymede and Io.

This perfectly timed single exposure photograph was captured on April 10th 2017 when Jupiter and the moon were near opposition, positioned a mere 1°45′ apart in the sky.

The photographer patiently waited for a passing cloud to dim Earth’s bright moonlight and illuminate the neighbouring gas giant and its accompanying moons.

While our own satellite appears to be the largest and brightest of them all, don’t be fooled. Callisto, Ganymede and Io are physically larger than Earth’s moon, while Europa is only marginally smaller.