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 16

                         A Moon Dressed Like Saturn
                 Image Credit & Copyright: Francisco Sojuel

   Explanation: Why does Saturn appear so big? It doesn't -- what is
   pictured are foreground clouds on Earth crossing in front of the Moon.
   The Moon shows a slight crescent phase with most of its surface visible
   by reflected Earthlight known as ashen glow. The Sun directly
   illuminates the brightly lit lunar crescent from the bottom, which
   means that the Sun must be below the horizon and so the image was taken
   before sunrise. This double take-inducing picture was captured on 2019
   December 24, two days before the Moon slid in front of the Sun to
   create a solar eclipse. In the foreground, lights from small Guatemalan
   towns are visible behind the huge volcano Pacaya.

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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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