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Credit & Copyright: Jeff Graphy
Explanation:
You don't have to look through a telescope to know where it's pointing.
Allowing the telescope to project its image onto a
large surface can be useful because it dilutes the
intense brightness of
very bright sources.
Such dilution is useful for looking at
the Sun,
for example during a
solar eclipse.
In the featured single-exposure image, though, it is a
too-bright
full moon that is projected.
This February full moon occurred two weeks ago and is
called the Snow Moon by some northern cultures.
The projecting instrument is the main 62-centimeter telescope at the
Saint-Vöran
Observatory high in the French
Alps.
Seeing a full moon directly is easier because it is not
too
bright, although you won't see this level of detail.
Your next chance
will occur on March 17.
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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
Publications with words: Moon
See also: