Astronomy Picture of the Day

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                               2018 September 4
                                      [2]
                          Moon behind Lava Fountain
  Image Credit & Copyright: Marcella Giulia Pace [3] (GreenFlash.Photo [4] )

Explanation: What's happened to the Moon? Nothing, but something has happened
to the image of the Moon. The heat from a volcanic lava fountain [5]  in the
foreground has warmed and made turbulent [6] the air nearby, causing passing
light to refract [7]  differently than usual. The result is a lava plume [8]
that appears to be melting [9]  the Moon. The featured picture was taken as
the full Sturgeon [10]  Moon was setting [11]  behind Mt. Etna [12]  as it
erupted [13]  in Italy [14]  about one week ago. The picture is actually a
composite of two [15]  images, one taken right after the other, with the same
camera and lens. The first image [16] was a quick exposure to capture details
of the setting Moon, while the second exposure<a/>, taken after the Moon set a
few minutes later, was longer so as to capture details of the faint lava jets.
From our Earth, we can only see the Sun [18] , Moon [19] , planets, and stars
as they appear through the distortion of the Earth's atmosphere [20] . This
distortion can not only change the images of familiar orbs into unusual [21]
shapes [22] , it can --unexpectedly at times -- delay sunset [23] and moonset
by several minutes.

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                      Tomorrow's picture: galaxy on edge

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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1809/MoonPlume_Pace_4205.jpg
  [3] https://greenflash.photo/about-me/
  [4] https://greenflash.photo/
  [5]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava#/media/Fil...
  [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbulence
  [7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refraction
  [8] ap170426.html
  [9]
http://www.acoolthingilearnedtoday.com/why-do...
  [10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon
  [11] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPIeMVORS4o
  [12] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rznju2ivzfU
  [13] ap030416.html
  [14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy
  [15] https://jokideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/0...
  [16] image/1809/MoonPlumeBefore_Pace_4672.jpg
  [17] image/1809/MoonPlumeAfter_Pace_4672.jpg
  [18] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun...
  [19] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/earths-moo...
  [20]
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/s...
  [21] ap090223.html
  [22] ap111010.html
  [23] https://aty.sdsu.edu/explain/sunset_time.html
  [24] http://www.apodar.com/
  [25] http://www.apod.cat/
  [26]  http://www.bjp.org.cn/apod/today.html
  [27] http://www.apod.rs/Croatia.html
  [28] http://www.astro.cz/apod/
  [29] http://www.apod.nl/
  [30] http://www.starobserver.org/
  [31] http://www.cidehom.com/apod.php
  [32] https://www.apod.tv/
  [33] http://www.astronomia2009.org.il/info/apod/ap...
  [34] http://apod.infoastronomy.org/
  [35] http://home.u05.itscom.net/apodjpn/apodj/apod...
  [36] http://wouldyoulike.org/apod/
  [37] http://www.apod.rs/Montenegro.html
  [38] http://apod.pl/apod/
  [39] http://www.astronet.ru/db/apod.html
  [40] http://www.apod.rs/
  [41] http://apod.fmf.uni-lj.si/
  [42] http://observatorio.info/
  [43] ap180903.html
  [44] archivepix.html
  [45] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [46] lib/aptree.html
  [47] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apo...
  [48] calendar/allyears.html
  [49] /apod.rss
  [50] lib/edlinks.html
  [51] lib/about_apod.html
  [52] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?dat...
  [53] ap180905.html
  [54] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [55] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [56] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnel...
  [57] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [58] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [59] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Priv...
  [60] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [61] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [62] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [63] http://www.mtu.edu/

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