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.

                                2026 April 24
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                         Young Moon and Sister Stars
                Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Giorgia Hofer

   Explanation: Sunlit arms of a [5]crescent moon seem to [6]embrace the
   faint lunar night side in this dramatic celestial scene from planet
   Earth. The single telephoto exposure tracking the sky was captured on
   the night of April 19, when a two day old Moon was near perigee in its
   elliptical orbit. On that date, the young Moon was also close on the
   sky to the lovely [7]Pleiades Star Cluster. With the moonlight dimmed
   by clouds the Pleiades [8]sister stars gather below the Moon's bright
   crescent, seen through a faint but colorful [9]lunar corona. The lunar
   night side is illuminated [10]by earthshine, sunlight reflected from
   the Earth itself. [11]The Moon's ashen glow, also known as the "old
   moon in the young moon's arms", tends to be brighter in the northern
   hemisphere spring. And for now, the Moon's orbit takes it near the
   [12]Pleiades stars each month in planet Earth's sky, though their close
   conjunctions are easiest to [13]see when the Moon is near a crescent
   phase.

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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    Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([28]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [29]Specific rights apply.
            [30]NASA Web Privacy, [31]Accessibility, [32]Notices;
                A service of: [33]ASD at [34]NASA / [35]GSFC,
                         [36]NASA Science Activation
                           & [37]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2604/GHR3777LunaPleiadi_101400.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.giorgiahoferphotography.com/
   5. https://science.nasa.gov/moon/moon-phases/
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180401.html
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251101.html
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230105.html
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241220.html
  10. https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/earthshine-83782/
  11. https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/what-is-earthshine/
  12. https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.07533
  13. https://science.nasa.gov/moon/daily-moon-guide/
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260423.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  20. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  23. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260424
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260425.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  33. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/
  35. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  36. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  37. http://www.mtu.edu/