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Credit & Copyright: Cui Yongjiang
and Shi Zexing
Explanation:
Venus now appears as planet Earth's brilliant
morning star
standing above the eastern horizon before dawn.
For most, the silvery celestial
beacon rose in a close pairing
with an old crescent Moon on February 26.
But seen from locations
in western Africa before sunrise,
the lunar crescent actually occulted or passed in front of Venus,
also in a crescent phase.
Farther to the east, the occultation occurred during daylight
hours.
In fact, this telescopic snapshot of the
dueling crescents was captured
just before the occultation began under an afternoon's
crystal clear skies from
Yunnan Province, China.
The unforgettable scene was easily visible to the naked eye
in broad daylight.
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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 - crescent - occultation
Publications with words: Moon - crescent - occultation
See also: