                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

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

                                 2021 June 9

                        A Total Lunar Eclipse Corona
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Helmut Eder

   Explanation: This moon appears multiply strange. This moon was a full
   moon, specifically called a Flower Moon at this time of the year. But
   that didn't make it strange -- full moons occur once a month (moon-th).
   This moon was a supermoon, meaning that it reached its full phase near
   its closest approach to the Earth in its slightly elliptical orbit.
   Somewhat strange, a supermoon appears a bit larger and brighter than
   the average full moon -- and enables it to be called a Super Flower
   Moon.  This moon was undergoing a total lunar eclipse. An eclipsed moon
   can look quite strange, being dark, unevenly lit, and, frequently, red
   -- sometimes called blood red. Therefore, this moon could be called a
   Super Flower Blood Moon. This moon was seen through thin clouds. These
   clouds created a faint corona around the moon, making it look not only
   strange, but colorful. This moon was imaged so deeply that the heart of
   the Milky Way galaxy, far in the background, was visible to its lower
   right. This moon, this shadow, this galaxy and these colors were all
   captured last month near Cassilis, NSW, Australia -- with a single
   shot. (Merged later with two lower shots that better capture the Milky
   Way.)

                   Details: Annular Solar Eclipse Tomorrow
            Gallery: Total Eclipse of the Super Flower Blood Moon
                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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