Astronomy Picture of the Day . ... Watching from a hillside near Austin, Texas, planet Earth, astrophotographer Russell Croman recorded this view of their passing as clouds gracefully dimmed the brilliant moonlight. To Fly Free in Space . ... What would it be like to fly free over the seas and clouds of Earth? ... During the Astro-1 astronomy mission of December, 1990, Space Shuttle astronauts photographed this stunning view of the setting full moon poised above the Earth's limb. ... December . ...