                        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.

                              2022 February 28

                   Direct Projection: The Moon in My Hands
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Graphy

   Explanation: You don't have to look through a telescope to know where
   it's pointing. Allowing the telescope to project its image onto a large
   surface can be useful because it dilutes the intense brightness of very
   bright sources. Such dilution is useful for looking at the Sun, for
   example during a solar eclipse. In the featured single-exposure image,
   though, it is a too-bright full moon that is projected. This February
   full moon occurred two weeks ago and is called the Snow Moon by some
   northern cultures. The projecting instrument is the main 62-centimeter
   telescope at the Saint-Véran Observatory high in the French Alps.
   Seeing a full moon directly is easier because it is not too bright,
   although you won't see this level of detail. Your next chance will
   occur on March 17.

                      Tomorrow's picture: dueling bands
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
                NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

