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Credit & Copyright: Stephen Mudge
Explanation:
Last week
Mercury
wandered far to the west of the Sun.
As the solar system's
innermost planet
neared its greatest elongation
or greatest angle from the Sun (for this apparition about 27 degrees)
it was joined by an old crescent Moon.
The conjunction was an engaging
sight
for early morning risers
in the southern hemisphere.
There the pair rose together in predawn skies, climbing
high above the horizon along a steeply inclined
ecliptic plane.
This well composed sequence captures the rising Moon and Mercury
above the city lights of
Brisbane in Queensland, Australia.
A stack of digital images, it consists of an exposure made
every 3 minutes beginning at 4:15 am local time on
April 19.
Mercury's track is at the far right, separated from
the Moon's path by about 8 degrees.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Moon
Publications with words: Moon
See also:
- APOD: 2026 August 25 Á Earths Shadow Visualized with Lunar Eclipses
- APOD: 2026 May 11 Á Moon Setting Behind Teide Volcano
- APOD: 2026 May 9 Á Messier Craters in Stereo
- APOD: 2026 April 15 Á The ISS Transits the Moon
- APOD: 2026 April 11 Á Artemis II: Flight Day 6
- The Bay of Rainbows
- Earthset from Orion