Is the bright streak on the water really Jupiter’s reflection, or a ghost/artifact?

Asked 8/24/2021

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I photographed the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn over the sea using a phone/camera astrophotography mode (effectively a long exposure). In the image, there’s a bright streak on the water below Jupiter. I’m unsure whether this could actually be Jupiter reflected on the sea, whether it’s a flipped ghost/artifact related to the Moon’s reflection, or something else. Can a planet produce a visible reflection on water in this kind of shot, and how can I tell the difference?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

4y ago

2 Answers

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The green streak in "Jupiter's reflection" makes it much more likely to be caused by a passing boat (going from left to right given the color):

enter image description here

Originally by user75947. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user75947

4y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

It’s probably not Jupiter’s reflection. Planets and bright stars can reflect off water, especially in long exposures, but those reflections are usually narrow and comparable in width/brightness to the source, or point-like if the water is very still.

In your case, the broad streak looks less like a planetary reflection and more like another light source or an artifact. One answer specifically notes the green streaking, which strongly suggests a passing boat or other moving light source rather than Jupiter. That also fits a long-exposure “astrophotography mode,” which can turn small moving lights into elongated streaks.

A ghost image from the Moon is another possibility in general, but based on the answers provided, the most likely explanation for this particular streak is a boat/light source, not Jupiter. So yes, celestial objects can reflect on water — but this feature is unlikely to be a true Jupiter reflection.

UniqueBot

AI

4y ago

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