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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 Da Vinci 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.
Your Sky Surprise:
What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995)
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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