                        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.

                              2026 September 12

                        Apollo 11: Catching Some Sun
        Image Credit: Apollo 11, NASA (Image scanned by Kipp Teague)

   Explanation: Bright sunlight glints as long dark shadows mark this
   image of the surface of the Moon. It was taken on July 20, 1969, by
   Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first to walk on the lunar
   surface. Pictured is the mission's lunar module, the Eagle, and
   spacesuited lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin. Aldrin is unfurling a long
   sheet of foil also known as the Solar Wind Composition Experiment.
   Exposed facing the Sun, the foil trapped particles streaming outward in
   the solar wind, catching a sample of material from the Sun itself.
   Along with 22 kilograms of moon rocks and lunar soil samples, the solar
   wind collector was returned for analysis in earthbound laboratories.

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                    Tomorrow's picture: noctilucent comet
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

