Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2020 March 14

                        Moonrise and Mountain Shadow
        Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Lopez (El Cielo de Canarias)

   Explanation: What phase of the Moon is 3.14 radians from the Sun? The
   Full Moon, of course. Even though the Moon might look full for several
   days, the Moon is truly at its full phase when it is 3.14 radians (aka
   180 degrees) from the Sun in ecliptic longitude. That's opposite the
   Sun in planet Earth's sky. Rising as the Sun set on March 9, only an
   hour or so after the moment of its full phase, this orange tinted and
   slightly flattened Moon still looked full. It was photographed opposite
   the setting Sun from Teide National Park on the Canary Island of
   Tenerife. Also opposite the setting Sun, seen from near the Teide
   volcano peak about 3,500 meters above sea level, is the mountain's
   rising triangular shadow extending into Earth's dense atmosphere. Below
   the distant ridge line on the left are the white telescope domes of
   Teide Observatory

                     Tomorrow's picture: comet blizzard
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