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Moonrise, Cape Sounion, Greece
Credit & Copyright: Anthony Ayiomamitis
Explanation: The Moon was full this month on June 22nd,
only a day after the northern hemisphere's summer solstice. Since this
solstice marked the northernmost point of the Sun's annual motion through
planet Earth's sky, the full Moon rising near the ecliptic plane opposite
the Sun was at its farthest south for the year. Only a month earlier,
on May 23rd, astronomer Anthony Ayiomamitis recorded this picture of
another southerly full Moon rising above Cape Sounion, Greece. The twenty-four
hundred year old Temple of Poseidon lies in the foreground, also visible
to sailors on the Aegean Sea. In this well-planned, single exposure,
a long telephoto lens makes the Moon loom large, but even without optical
aid casual skygazers often find the full Moon looking astonishingly
large when seen near the horizon. That powerful visual effect is known
as the Moon Illusion.
From Astronomy
Picture of the Day
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