Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2006 October 14
Explanation: On October 6th, a nearly full perigee Moon shone in Earth's night sky. The bright moonlight, accurate planning, and proper equipment resulted in this amazing composite featuring sharp silhouettes of the International Space Station (ISS) as it rapidly crossed (right to left) in front of the lunar disk. The picture was constructed using six video frames recorded from a site just outside Tracy, California, USA. Sporting newly deployed solar arrays, the ISS was at a range of about 260 miles from the telescope/video camera setup. In the background, about a thousand times more distant than the ISS, lies bright lunar ray crater Tycho.
Authors & editors:
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Phil Newman Specific rights apply.
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.