                        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.

                               2025 January 2

                             Solar Analemma 2024
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Betul Turksoy

   Explanation: Recorded during 2024, this year-spanning series of images
   reveals a pattern in the seasonal drift of the Sun's daily motion
   through planet Earth's sky. Known to some as an analemma, the
   figure-eight curve was captured in exposures taken only at 1pm local
   time on clear days from Kayseri, Turkiye. Of course the Sun's position
   on the 2024 solstice dates was at the top and bottom of the curve. They
   correspond to the astronomical beginning of summer and winter in the
   north. The points along the curve half-way between the solstices, but
   not the figure-eight curve crossing point, mark the 2024 equinoxes and
   the start of spring and fall. Regional peaks and dormant volcano Mount
   Erciyes lie along the southern horizon in the 2024 timelapse skyscape.

                      Tomorrow's picture: eclipse pair
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

