Crescent Neptune and Triton

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 2’s closest approach. It could not have been taken from Earth because the most distant planet never shows a crescent phase to sunward eyes.

Heading for the heliopause and beyond, the spacecraft’s parting vantage point also robs Neptune of its familiar blue hue. This remarkable example of Astrophotography offers a look at truly Distant Worlds as seen by a pioneering Spacecraft.