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.

                               2022 October 1
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                               Lunation Matrix
            Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Tunc Tezel ([5]TWAN)

   Explanation: [6]Observe the Moon every night and you'll see its visible
   sunlit portion gradually change. [7]In phases progressing from New Moon
   to Full Moon to New Moon again, a lunar cycle or lunation is completed
   in about 29.5 days. Top left to bottom right, this 7x4 matrix of
   telescopic images captures the range of lunar phases for 28 consecutive
   nights, from the evening of July 29 to the morning of August 26,
   following an [8]almost complete lunation. No image was taken 24 hours
   or so just after and just before [9]New Moon, when the lunar phase is
   at best a narrow crescent, close to the Sun and [10]really hard to see.
   Finding mostly clear Mediterranean skies required an occasional road
   trip to complete this lunar cycle project, imaging in early evening for
   the first half and late evening and early morning for the second half
   of the lunation. Since all the images are registered at the same scale
   you can use this matrix to track the change in the Moon's apparent size
   during the single lunation. For extra credit, find the lunar phase that
   occurred [11]closest to perigee.

              Tonight: [12]International Observe the Moon Night
                      Tomorrow's picture: cosmic cannon
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    Authors & editors: [24]Robert Nemiroff ([25]MTU) & [26]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([27]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [28]Specific rights apply.
              [29]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [30]ASD at [31]NASA / [32]GSFC,
                         [33]NASA Science Activation
                           & [34]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2210/Lu20220729-0826.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. http://www.twanight.org/tezel
   5. http://www.twanight.org/
   6. https://moon.nasa.gov/observe-the-moon-night/
   7. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4955
   8. https://vimeo.com/744501648
   9. http://www.astrophoto.fr/new_moon_2013july8.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220725.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220616.html
  12. https://moon.nasa.gov/observe-the-moon-night/
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220930.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  17. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  22. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=221001
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221002.html
  24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  27. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  30. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  33. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  34. http://www.mtu.edu/