                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                                2019 February 6
                                      [2]
                      Moon and Venus Appulse over a Tree
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Alex Dzierba [3]

Explanation: What's that bright spot near the Moon? Venus [4] . About a week
ago, Earth's Moon [5]  appeared unusually close [6]  to the distant planet
Venus, an angular coincidence known as an appulse [7] . Similar to a
conjunction [8] , which is a coordinate [9]  term, an appulse refers more
generally to when two celestial objects appear close together. This Moon and
Venus appulse [10]  -- once as close as 0.05 degrees -- was captured [11]
rising during the early morning behind Koko [12] crater [13]  on the island of
O'ahu [14]  in Hawaii [15] , USA [16] . The Moon was in a crescent phase with
its lower left reflecting direct sunlight, while the rest of the Moon is seen
because of Earthshine [17] , sunlight first reflected from the Earth. Some
leaves and branches of a foreground kiawe [18] tree are seen in silhouette in
front of the bright crescent, while others, in front of a darker background,
appear white because of forward scatter [19] ing. Appulses [20]  involving the
Moon typically occur several times a year [21] : for example the Moon is
expected to pass [22]  within 0.20 degrees [23]  of distant Saturn on March 1.

                        Tomorrow's picture: open space

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [35] (MTU [36] ) & Jerry Bonnell [37]
                                  (UMCP [38] )
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              A service of: ASD [41]  at NASA [42]  / GSFC [43]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1902/MoonVenus_Dzierba_4386.jpg
  [3] https://www.instagram.com/adzierba/
  [4] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/venus/overview/
  [5] ap160201.html
  [6] ap140227.html
  [7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appulse
  [8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conjunction_(astronomy)
  [9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_ascension
  [10] https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20190131_19_100
  [11] https://www.instagram.com/p/BtTkm5MBEzN/
  [12] http://hawaiianforest.com/wp/geological-features-of-koko-crater/
  [13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koko_Head#/media/File:Oahu_from_air2.jpg
  [14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oahu
  [15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii
  [16] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States
  [17] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthlight_(astronomy)
  [18] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopis_pallida
  [19] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_scatter
  [20] https://in-the-sky.org/article.php?term=appulse
  [21] https://in-the-sky.org/article.php?term=appulse&year=2019&moon=1
  [22] https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20190301_15_100
  [23] https://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/degrees.html
  [24] ap190205.html
  [25] archivepix.html
  [26] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [27] lib/aptree.html
  [28] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [29] calendar/allyears.html
  [30] /apod.rss
  [31] lib/edlinks.html
  [32] lib/about_apod.html
  [33] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=190206
  [34] ap190207.html
  [35] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [36] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [37] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [38] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [39] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [40] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [41] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [42] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [43] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [44] http://www.mtu.edu/
