Subj : Daily APOD Report
To   : All
From : Alan Ianson
Date : Tue Oct 08 2024 00:12:54

                        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.

                               2024 October 8
   A person stands looking over a lake. High in a partly cloudy sky is the
   Sun. A close look at the Sun will show that there is a dark spot in the
        center -- the Moon during an annular eclipse. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                       Annular Eclipse over Patagonia
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Alexis Trigo

   Explanation: Can you find the Sun? OK, but can you explain why thereCÇÖs
   a big dark spot in the center? The spot is the Moon, and the impressive
   alignment shown, where the Moon lines up inside the Sun, is called an
   annular solar eclipse. Such an eclipse occurred just last week and was
   visible from a thin swath mostly in Earth's southern hemisphere. The
   featured image was captured from Patagonia, Chile. When the Moon is
   significantly closer to the Earth and it aligns with the Sun, a total
   solar eclipse is then visible from parts of the Earth. Annular eclipses
   are slightly more common than total eclipses, but as the Moon moves
   slowly away from the Earth, before a billion more years, the Moon's
   orbit will no longer bring it close enough for a total solar eclipse to
   be seen from anywhere on Earth.

                  Gallery: Annular Eclipse of October 2024
                     Tomorrow's picture: galaxy's center
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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