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Credit & Copyright: Sergio MontÇfar
(Planetario Ciudad de La Plata)
Explanation:
What's happening on the horizon?
The horizon itself, past a
spinach field in
Guatemala,
shows not only trees but a large volcano: the
VolcÀn de Fuego (Volcano of Fire).
The red glow at the top of the volcano is hot lava.
But your
eye
may also be drawn to the blue circle above the horizon on the left.
This circle surrounds the
Moon and,
together with other colors, is called
a corona.
A corona is caused by
diffraction of light
-- here moonlight -- by small water droplets in the
Earth's
intervening atmosphere.
A break in the clouds on the right shows stars and even the
planet Saturn far beyond the volcano.
Although VolcÀn de Fuego
frequently undergoes low-level activity,
the astrophotographer considered himself lucky to capture the scene just during an
explosive eruption in late September.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Moon - corona - volcano
Publications with words: Moon - corona - volcano
See also: