                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    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.

                              2024 September 21

                         Sunrise Shadows in the Sky
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Emili Vilamala

   Explanation: The defining astronomical moment of this September's
   equinox is at 12:44 UTC on September 22, when the Sun crosses the
   celestial equator moving south in its yearly journey through planet
   Earth's sky. That marks the beginning of fall for our fair planet in
   the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere, when day
   and night are nearly equal around the globe. Of course, if you
   celebrate the astronomical change of seasons by watching a sunrise you
   can also look for crepuscular rays. Outlined by shadows cast by clouds,
   crepuscular rays can have a dramatic appearance in the twilight sky
   during any sunrise (or sunset). Due to perspective, the parallel cloud
   shadows will seem to point back to the rising Sun and a place due east
   on your horizon on the equinox date. But in this spectacular sunrise
   skyscape captured in early June, the parallel shadows and crepuscular
   rays appear to converge toward an eastern horizon's more northerly
   sunrise. The well-composed photo places the rising Sun just behind the
   bell tower of a church in the town of Vic, province of Barcelona,
   Catalonia, Spain.

                   Tomorrow's picture: Equinox in the City
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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