                        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 December 25
     A tree-lined hill is shown topped by a majestic cathedral. Directly
    behind the cathedral is of a triangular-shaped mountain top. Directly
    behind the mountain is a crescent moon, although the exposure is long
   enough to see the rest of lunar circle. Please see the explanation for
                         more detailed information.

                          Cathedral, Mountain, Moon
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Valerio Minato

   Explanation: Single shots like this require planning. The first step is
   to realize that such an amazing triple-alignment actually takes place.
   The second step is to find the best location to photograph it. But it
   was the third step: being there at exactly the right time -- and when
   the sky was clear -- that was the hardest. Five times over six years
   the photographer tried and found bad weather. Finally, just ten days
   ago, the weather was perfect, and a photographic dream was realized.
   Taken in Piemonte, Italy, the cathedral in the foreground is the
   Basilica of Superga, the mountain in the middle is Monviso, and, well,
   you know which moon is in the background. Here, even though the setting
   Moon was captured in a crescent phase, the exposure was long enough for
   doubly reflected Earthlight, called the da Vinci glow, to illuminate
   the entire top of the Moon.

     Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
                                 (post 1995)
                    Tomorrow's picture: cosmic jellyfish
     __________________________________________________________________

       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,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

