Creative Shots - MDOLCTNO Revisited

In a previous Creative Shots post we looked at making distant objects look closer to near objects. I just found a picture that demonstrates this principle on a much, much larger scale.

In this picture -- taken by a satellite orbiting Mars! -- both Earth and Jupiter can be seen. You should click on the picture to look at the really big version. Earth was about seven times closer to Mars than Jupiter was when the picture was taken, so it looks proportionally larger than its actual size. In reality, Earth's diameter is approximately the height of one of the red bands visible on Jupiter.

A description of this picture, including a diagram showing the relative position of the planets, is available here.

One night at the Stutz farm picnic area Grandpa described to me how to calculate the time of night by looking at the stars. It was a complicated formula that, as I recall, used the day, month, and position of the Big Dipper. While I no longer remember Grandpa's formula, I haven't forgotten to look up at the stars with awe, and wonder what else they will teach us.

UPDATE

John jokes in the comments, asking how I managed to "catch a ride" to Mars to snap the picture. I may be spacey at times, but I have yet to make it to Mars!

He got me thinking that now is a good time to check how far I'd get using the money I've been saving in my "Mars Trip" mason jar, which currently has $10.20 (including the Susan B. Anthony coin that I really don't want to spend unless I absolutely must). My best guesstimate is: $30 million to go to the International Space Station ÷ 230 miles for the average ISS altitude ÷ 5280 feet = about $25/foot of altitude to travel to space. So, my $10.20 should get me about five inches toward Mars at current space travel rates. Don't hold your breath for my Mars photo, John!