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April
4, 2008: The date was March 8th, less than a month
ago. In a remote corner of Kansas, the sun was going down
and the deepening twilight beckoned to photographer Doug Zubenel
driving through the countryside. Something photogenic, he
knew, was about to happen.
He
turned his car onto an unfamiliar dirt road and proceeded
into the sunset. "The brilliant sun did not allow me
to see the cement railings on a bridge over a small creek.
The next thing I knew, I had totaled my car!" Zubenel
emerged from the wreckage, phoned 911, and while he was waiting
for the tow truck to arrive, took the picture:
"It
was a beautiful 1-day old crescent moon," says Zubenel.
"It looked a lot better than my car!"
This
perilous scene is about to repeat itself—three times.
First
– On Sunday evening, April 6th, a 2% crescent moon emerges
from the glare of the sun like the wry smile of a Cheshire
cat beaming through the tawny-orange sunset. Finding this
delicate sliver may require some careful scanning of the western
horizon and it would be wise to exit the car (or at least
brake) before looking. The next night is easier.
Second
– On Monday evening, April 7th, a 6% crescent materializes a
little higher in the sky. Set against the cobalt-blue of early
evening, the moon reveals its lovely da
Vinci glow, a pale impression of the full Moon inside the
vivid crescent. Five hundred years ago, Leonardo da Vinci was
first to explain this phenomenon: it is Earthshine, the light
of our own planet Earth illuminating the Moon's dark terrain.
A crescent moon with Earthshine is widely regarded as one of
the prettiest sights in the heavens.
But
the best is yet to come….
Third
– On Tuesday evening, April 8th, a 12% crescent Moon moves
into conjunction with the Pleiades. "Into conjunction"
is astronomy jargon for "side-by-side." The Moon
will be so close to the Pleiades that, to the naked eye, they
seem to touch, but that is impossible because the Pleiades
are 400 light years away.
Also
known as the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades are a cluster of
young stars. The brightest seven of these blue-white beauties
form a little dipper shape as wide about as the Moon (0.5o).
In spite of their great distance, the Pleiades are faintly
visible to the naked eye even from urban areas.
Right:
A deep-sky exposure of the Pleiades star cluster by amateur
astronomer Robert Gendler. [More]
On
April 8th, the Moon will lead you directly to the Pleiades.
Binoculars are recommended: scan around the Moon and you will
find not just seven but dozens of sparkling stars, some of
them winking in and out behind the mountainous lunar limb.
The Moon itself may take your breath away as you sweep your
optics across the cratered Earthlit landscape.
As
on previous evenings, the best time to look is shortly after
sundown, facing west: sky
map. The
crescent Moon, Earthshine and a star cluster in the same field
of view--it doesn't get much better than that.
Epilogue:
"I have another car now and I will be heading out Sunday
afternoon for an encore performance, not of the wreck, but
of the Moon," says Zubenel. He shares his story hoping
that it will inspire others to photograph the upcoming display--carefully!
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Author:
Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA
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