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.

                               2025 August 30
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                             A Two Percent Moon
                 Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Marina Prol

   Explanation: [5]A young crescent moon can be hard to see. That's
   because [6]when the Moon shows its crescent phase (young or old) it can
   never be far from the Sun in [7]planet Earth's sky. But even though the
   sky is still bright, a slender sunlit lunar crescent is clearly visible
   in this [8]early evening skyscape. The telephoto snapshot was captured
   on August 24, with the Moon very near the western horizon at sunset.
   Seen in a narrow crescent phase about 1.5 days old, the visible sunlit
   portion is a mere two percent of the surface of the Moon's familiar
   nearside. At the [9]Canary Islands Space Centre, a steerable radio dish
   for [10]communication with spacecraft is tilted in the direction of the
   two percent Moon. The sunset sky's pastel pinkish coloring is partly
   due to fine sand and dust from the [11]Sahara Desert blown by the
   prevailing winds.

                   Tomorrow's picture: a planetary pillow
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    Authors & editors: [23]Robert Nemiroff ([24]MTU) & [25]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([26]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [27]Specific rights apply.
            [28]NASA Web Privacy, [29]Accessibility, [30]Notices;
                A service of: [31]ASD at [32]NASA / [33]GSFC,
                         [34]NASA Science Activation
                           & [35]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2508/IMG_4081.jpeg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.marinaprol.com/
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080411.html
   6. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5415/
   7. https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching/
   8. https://www.instagram.com/marprol/p/DNyMcT_0JQb/
   9. https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Operations/ESA_Ground_Stations/Maspalomas_station
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Apollo_11_launch_day_communication_relayed_through_Canary_Station.ogg
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap021112.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250829.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  16. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  18. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  21. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250830
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250831.html
  23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  25. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  26. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  31. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/
  33. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  34. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  35. http://www.mtu.edu/