                        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 July 16

                          Love and War by Moonlight
                     Image Credit & Copyright: Shi Huan

   Explanation: Venus, named for the Roman goddess of love, and Mars, the
   war god's namesake, come together by moonlight in this serene skyview,
   recorded on July 11 from Lualaba province, Democratic Republic of
   Congo, planet Earth. Taken in the western twilight sky shortly after
   sunset the exposure also records earthshine illuminating the otherwise
   dark surface of the young crescent Moon. Of course the Moon has moved
   on. Venus still shines in the west though as the evening star, third
   brightest object in Earth's sky, after the Sun and the Moon itself.
   Seen here above a brilliant Venus, Mars moved even closer to the
   brighter planet and by July 13 could be seen only about a Moon's width
   away. Mars has since slowly wandered away from much brighter Venus in
   the twilight, but both are sliding toward bright star Regulus. Alpha
   star of the constellation Leo, Regulus lies off the top of this frame
   and anticipates a visit from Venus and then Mars in twilight skies of
   the coming days.

                Tomorrow's picture: when the moon watches you
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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