                        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.

                               2023 January 6

                              Moon O'Clock 2022
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Niveth Kumar

   Explanation: The first Full Moon of 2023 is in the sky tonight opposite
   the Sun at 23:08 UTC. Big and beautiful, the Moon at its brightest
   phase should be easy to spot. Still, for quick reference images
   captured near the times of all the full moons of 2022 are aranged in
   this dedicated astro-imaging project from Sri Lanka, planet Earth. The
   day, month, and a traditional popular name for 2022's twelve full moons
   are given in the chart. The apparent size of each full moon depends on
   how close the full lunar phase is to perigee or apogee, the closest or
   farthest point in the Moon's elliptical orbit. Like the 2022 Wolf Moon
   at the 1 o'clock position, tonight's Full Moon occurs within a about
   two days of apogee. But unlike in 2022, the year 2023 will have 13 full
   moons that won't all fit nicely on the twelve hour clock.

                    Tomorrow's picture: stations in space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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