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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.

The featured image shows an orange moon rising beyond picturesque mountains. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Strawberry Supermoon Over Devil's Saddle

Explanation: Near the horizon the full moon often seems to loom large, swollen in appearance by the famous Moon illusion . But time-lapse image sequences demonstrate that the Moon's angular size doesn't really change as it rises or sets. Its color does, though. Recording a frame about every 60 seconds, this image also shows how red the Sun can look while low on the horizon. The featured montage was taken from Cagliari , Sardinia , Italy , the day after June's Strawberry Moon, a full moon dubbed a supermoon due to its slightly larger-than-usual angular size. This Strawberry Supermoon is seen rising behind the Devil's Saddle , a mountain named for the unusual moon-sized dip seen just to the right of the rising moon . A shrinking line-of-sight through planet Earth's dense and dusty atmosphere shifted the moonlight from strawberry red through honey-colored and paler yellowish hues. That change seems appropriate for a northern June Full Moon also known as the Strawberry or Honey Moon . A Thunder Supermoon -- the third of four supermoons in 2022 -- will occur later this month.

Today's Adventure Link: Click on “Cagliari”

Date July 4, 2022
Credit Image Credit & Copyright: Lorenzo Busilacchi
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.