Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]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 February 28 [2]A picture of the remnant pillars of Poseiden is shown, an ancient Greek Temple. In the middle of the ruins, far in the distance, is a crescent Moon. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Crescent Moon Beyond Greek Temple Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Elias Chasiotis Explanation: Why is a thin crescent moon never seen far from a horizon? Because the only [4]geometry that gives a thin crescent lunar phase occurs when [5]the Moon appears close to [6]the Sun in the sky. The crescent is not caused by the [7]shadow of the Earth, but by seeing only a small part of the Moon directly illuminated by the Sun. Moreover, the thickest part of the [8]crescent always occurs in the direction of the Sun. In the evening, a [9]thin crescent Moon will set shortly after the Sun and not be seen for the rest of the night. Alternatively, in the morning, a [10]crescent Moon will rise shortly before the Sun after not being seen for most of the night. [11]Pictured two weeks ago, a crescent moon was captured near the horizon, just before sunrise, far behind remnants of the ancient [12]Temple of [13]Poseidon in [14]Greece. Tomorrow's picture: flaming comet __________________________________________________________________ [15]< | [16]Archive | [17]Submissions | [18]Index | [19]Search | [20]Calendar | [21]RSS | [22]Education | [23]About APOD | [24]Discuss | [25]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [26]Robert Nemiroff ([27]MTU) & [28]Jerry Bonnell ([29]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [30]Specific rights apply. [31]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [32]ASD at [33]NASA / [34]GSFC, [35]NASA Science Activation & [36]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2302/CrescentPoseiden_Chasiotis_4240.jpg 3. https://www.facebook.com/elias.chasiotis 4. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/review/all-about-the-moon/moon_phases.en.jpg 5. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/earths-moon/in-depth/ 6. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/in-depth/ 7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211125.html 8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210725.html 9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220725.html 10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210429.html 11. https://www.facebook.com/elias.chasiotis/posts/10225879511108570 12. https://youtu.be/nNJdmtWQmVw 13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Poseidon,_Sounion 14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230227.html 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 19. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 24. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230228 25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230301.html 26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 27. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 29. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 31. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 32. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 33. https://www.nasa.gov/ 34. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 35. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 36. http://www.mtu.edu/