Posted on 09/15/2023 11:59:21 AM PDT by MtnClimber
Explanation: Venus has returned, now appearing in planet Earth's predawn skies as a brilliant morning star. From a window seat on a flight to Mexico City, the bright celestial beacon was captured just before sunrise in this astronomical snapshot, taken on September 12. Venus, at the upper right, shared the early twilight with an old crescent Moon. Seen from this stratospheric perspective, mountain peaks and clouds appear in silhouette along a glowing eastern horizon. The dramatic, long, low cloud bank was created by ongoing venting from planet Earth's active volcano Popocatépetl.
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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
They need to do something about that volcano. Can’t they turn it off? It’s spewing a lot of CO2.
Is that picture reversed?
Just a note: I climbed Popocatepetl, probably in 1991. It has been erupting and closed to climbing since shortly after I climbed it. It was erupting steam with major sulfur content when I climbed “Popo”. I also climbed the peak on the left of the photo which is Iztaccihuatl, an extinct volcano, and the dormant/possibly extinct volcano Orizaba which may be the peak in the distance to the right of Popo. All were glaciated with crevasses and required crampons, ice axes and ropes. These are the 3rd, 5th and 7th highest peaks in North America.
Ixta, to the left of the photo is north of Popo, the erupting volcano. From Mexico City the photo seems correct.
During the pre-Columbian era, a captivating Mexican legend unfolded, showcasing the profound beauty of the land. Set against the backdrop of the awe-inspiring volcanoes, Popocatepetl and Iztaccíhuatl, this tragic love story revolves around two young Tlaxcaltecas hailing from the Mexican state of Tlaxcala.
In ancient times, when the Aztec Empire exerted its dominion over the Valley of Mexico, neighboring towns were subjected to heavy taxation. The chief of the Tlaxcaltecas, longstanding adversaries of the Aztecs, could no longer bear this oppressive burden and resolved to fight for the freedom of his people.
Among the chief’s children was the incomparable Princess Iztaccihuatl, renowned as the fairest of all princesses. She had fallen deeply in love with Popocatepetl, a valiant warrior from her father’s tribe, renowned for his striking handsomeness. The two young souls professed an unwavering love for one another, and before departing for battle, Popocatepetl approached the chief, seeking his daughter’s hand in marriage.
The chief gladly consented and made a promise to celebrate their union with great joy upon Popocatepetl’s triumphant return from the war. Filled with hope and determination, the brave warrior made all the necessary preparations and embarked on his journey, carrying within his heart the assurance that the princess would eagerly await their reunion to consummate their love.
However, a jealous rival of Popocatepetl, envious of the profound bond shared by the young lovers, deceitfully informed Princess Iztaccihuatl that her beloved had perished in combat.
Crushed by the weight of grief and consumed by sorrow, the princess succumbed to her despair and passed away, unaware of the falsehood that had shattered her spirit. Meanwhile, Popocatepetl emerged victorious from the battle, yearning to find his beloved princess. Yet, upon his return, he received the devastating news of Iztaccihuatl’s untimely demise.
Overwhelmed by anguish, he roamed the town aimlessly, haunted by his loss for countless days and nights. Determined to honor their love and ensure that Princess Iztaccihuatl would never be forgotten, Popocatepetl commanded the construction of an immense tomb beneath the sun. Ten hills were piled together to form a colossal mountain, symbolizing his eternal devotion.
Gently cradling the lifeless body of his princess in his arms, Popocatepetl ascended to the mountain’s summit and tenderly laid her to rest. With a loving kiss upon her cold lips, he took up a smoking torch and knelt before his beloved, forever guarding her eternal slumber. From that moment onward, they would remain together, forever facing one another.
As time passed, snow cloaked their bodies, transforming them into two colossal volcanoes, inseparable until the end of days. The legend continues that whenever Popocatepetl, the warrior, recalls his beloved, his heart, which preserves the fiery embers of eternal passion, trembles, causing his torch to emit smoke. Thus, to this day, the Popocatepetl volcano continues to release fumaroles.
This tale has been passed down from one generation to the next since the era of the Aztec Empire, dating back to the fourteenth century. The significance attached to these majestic volcanoes is evident, as they have borne the names bestowed upon them during that ancient time.
Popocatepetl from the south
I agree. The crescent moon looks backwards for a northern hemisphere moonrise because the moon was running north of the ecliptic and the sun was well below and to the right of the moon at the time. These backward crescent moons are fun to observe because they look so unusual because they aren't particularly common (especially the more northerly your latitude is). For northern hemisphere observers these conditions are seen in the morning towards autumn and in the evening during spring. Reversed in the southern hemisphere.
I thought I was looking at the trailing edge of the wing. After further review, I’m not sure.
It looks like the trailing edge of the wing to me. This volcano is SE from Mexico City. The smoke from the volcano is blowing north, but that is at high altitude. The top of Popo is almost 18,000 ft. The airport is on the east side of the city. But if the wind was from the north at ground level the plane would fly to the south and then land to the north.
Is this one of those images that the orientation flip occurs in the meta data ?
Do some of us see this corrected and those of us with older browsers may see it upside down ?
Comment as to how you see it ?
On the top third of the photo it is dark except for a crescent moon and probably Venus in the dark sky. In the center third is the glow of sunrise to the east and a volcano in the middle with ash flowing to the left (north) over a multi-humped mountain to the left (Ixtacchutal). The bottom third is the lights from the eastern edge of Mexico City.
😲😲
It’s a pretty neat image. I’ve never seen heavenly bodies and an active terrestrial volcano in the same image.
The EXIF image info on this photo today says:
Orientation Bottom right
And it appears ‘upside down’ on my five year old Firefox browser.
The image from yesterday ‘Astronomy of the Day’ says:
Orientation Top left
That seems to support my contention about meta data or tags not being read in the past.
Today’s image on another machine with a current browser shows the photo properly.
Thanks for the info. I did not know that could happen.
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