南太平洋影子里的月落

2024年8月24日

South Pacific Shadowset
Image Credit & Copyright: Jin Wang

Explanation: The full Moon and Earth’s shadow set together in this island skyscape. The alluring scene was captured Tuesday morning, August 20, from Fiji, South Pacific Ocean, planet Earth. For early morning risers shadowset in the western sky is a daily apparition. Still, the grey-blue shadow is often overlooked in favor of a brighter eastern horizon. Extending through the dense atmosphere, Earth’s setting shadow is bounded above by a pinkish glow or anti-twilight arch. Known as the Belt of Venus, the arch’s lovely color is due to backscattering of reddened light from the opposite horizon’s rising Sun. Of course, the setting Moon’s light is reddened by the long sight-line through the atmosphere. But on that date the full Moon could be called a seasonal Blue Moon, the third full Moon in a season with four full Moons. And even though the full Moon is always impressive near the horizon, August’s full Moon is considered by some the first of four consecutive full Supermoons in 2024.

Tomorrow’s picture: fresh tiger stripes

南太平洋影子里的月落
影像提供与版权: Jin Wang

说明: 在这片岛屿的天空景观里，满月与地球的影子一同西落。这个迷人的景观，则是在8月20日星期二的早晨，摄于地球南太平洋的斐济岛。对于早起的人来说，每日都能在西方天空看到地球影子西沉的景象。只不过，人们的目光往往受到明亮东方地平线的吸引，对这片灰蓝色的影子视而不见。地球穿入浓密大气的西沉暗影，以大片的粉红晕光（反暮曙光弧）为上界。这道名为“金星带”的光带之美丽色泽，来自大气反向散射另一侧地平线东升旭日的红化阳光。当然，落月的光也会因为穿过视线方向的厚重大气而红化。此外，这天的满月也是这个季节的“蓝月”，意指同一个季节出现4轮满月的第三个。尽管悬在地平线附近的满月都很壮观，但这轮8月的满月，真的是超级月亮，更是2024年连续四个“超级月亮”中的第一个。

明日的图片: fresh tiger stripes