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Астронет: Астрономическая картинка дня Соединение полумесяцев http://www.astronet.ru/db/msg/1950699/eng |
Credit & Copyright: Aldo S. Kleiman
Explanation:
A waxing crescent Moon and a waning crescent Venus are found at
opposite corners of this twilight
telephoto field of
view.
The close conjunction of the two brightest celestial beacons
in
planet Earth's
western evening sky
was captured on February 1 from Rosario, Argentina.
On that date, the slender crescent Moon was about 3 days old.
But the Moon's visible sunlit crescent will
grow to a bright Full Moon by February 14.
Like the Moon,
Venus
cycles through
phases as it orbits the Sun.
And while its visible sunlit crescent narrows, the inner planet's
apparent size increases as it gets closer to Earth.
In a Valentine from the Solar System,
Venus, named for the Roman goddess of Love,
will also reach its peak brightness in planet Earth's evening skies around
February
14.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.