Credit & Copyright: Elena Pinna
Explanation:
On Monday, January's
Full Moon
rose as the Sun set.
Spotted near the eastern horizon, its warm hues are seen
in this photo taken near Cagliari, capital city of the Italian
island of Sardinia.
Of course the familiar patterns of light and dark across
the Moon's nearside
are created by bright rugged highlands and dark smooth lunar maria.
Traditionally the patterns are seen
as pareidolia,
giving the visual illusion of a human face like the
Man in the Moon,
or familiar animal like the
Moon rabbit.
But for a moment the
swarming murmuration,
also known as a flock of starlings,
frozen in the snapshot's field of view lends
another pareidolic element to the scene.
Some see the graceful figure of a dancer enchanted
by moonlight.
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
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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: full moon
Publications with words: full moon
See also: