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Astronomy Picture of the Day - Space Station Silhouette on the Moon
NASA ^ | 18 Jun, 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Eric Holland

Posted on 06/18/2025 12:08:02 PM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: What's that unusual spot on the Moon? It's the International Space Station. Using precise timing, the Earth-orbiting space platform was photographed in front of a partially lit gibbous Moon in 2019. The featured image was taken from Palo Alto, California, USA with an exposure time of only 1/667 of a second. In contrast, the duration of the transit of the ISS across the entire Moon was about half a second. A close inspection of this unusually crisp ISS silhouette will reveal the outlines of numerous solar panels and trusses. The bright crater Tycho is visible on the lower left, as well as comparatively rough, light colored terrain known as highlands and relatively smooth, dark colored areas known as maria. Downloadable apps can tell you when the International Space Station will be visible from your area.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa

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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.

1 posted on 06/18/2025 12:08:02 PM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 06/18/2025 12:08:21 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; ...
Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 šŸ”

3 posted on 06/18/2025 12:09:23 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Now you did it I told you I was the only one to do the steering.


4 posted on 06/18/2025 12:12:40 PM PDT by Vaduz
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To: MtnClimber

Mahjong has space stations on some of the tiles.


5 posted on 06/18/2025 12:14:17 PM PDT by DannyTN
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To: DannyTN
Mahjong has space stations on some of the tiles.

Well, the Shuttle had Tiles on some of its body. :-)
6 posted on 06/18/2025 12:15:55 PM PDT by left that other site (You Shall Know The Truth, and The Truth Shall Make You Free.)
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To: MtnClimber

Very cool picture...


7 posted on 06/18/2025 12:20:05 PM PDT by econjack
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To: left that other site
Well, the Shuttle had Tiles on some of its body. :-)

That probably explains it

8 posted on 06/18/2025 12:21:36 PM PDT by DannyTN
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To: MtnClimber

I”m surprised they don’t say what telescope photographer Eric Holland used. The APOD site has a link on “Palo Alto, CA” and (of all things) it takes you to a really nice drone flight by Eric over the Palo Alto Baylands and Duckpond where I’ve hiked many times.

The Foothill College Observatory in next-door Los Altos Hills has an observatory with a 16-inch computer-controlled Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector, but I doubt Eric had access to that for a photo.


9 posted on 06/18/2025 12:22:16 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (ā€œDiversity is our Strengthā€ just doesn’t carry the same message as ā€œDeath from Aboveā€)
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To: MtnClimber

Reminds me of 2001: A Space Odyssey.


10 posted on 06/18/2025 12:25:08 PM PDT by simpson96
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To: MtnClimber

Wow.


11 posted on 06/18/2025 12:26:15 PM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: DannyTN

šŸ›°šŸš€šŸ˜


12 posted on 06/18/2025 12:31:13 PM PDT by left that other site (You Shall Know The Truth, and The Truth Shall Make You Free.)
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To: MtnClimber

Someone needs to photoshop a Star Destroyer silhouette approaching the space station silhouette.


13 posted on 06/18/2025 1:00:34 PM PDT by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)
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To: Pontiac

14 posted on 06/18/2025 1:20:06 PM PDT by Telepathic Intruder
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

I was looking for that info, too. His Instagram page doesn’t have it, either. Anyone who can get a shot like that has certainly done their homework.


15 posted on 06/18/2025 1:21:59 PM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! šŸ”­)
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To: Telepathic Intruder

Well, that’s close.

Thanks


16 posted on 06/18/2025 1:23:44 PM PDT by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)
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To: MtnClimber

I’d say the moon had its appendix removed.


17 posted on 06/18/2025 1:36:25 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: telescope115

“Anyone who can get a shot like that has certainly done their homework.”
Exactly. He knew there was a 0.5 second transit and had to really dial in his setup to get that shot. That wasn’t trivial.

What telescope do you think he used for that shot?


18 posted on 06/18/2025 1:55:33 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (ā€œDiversity is our Strengthā€ just doesn’t carry the same message as ā€œDeath from Aboveā€)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom
What telescope do you think he used for that shot?

Wow, well, I don’t think it was smaller than 6ā€. It’s so color free my first thought is it’s a triplet refractor, but it could also be a reflector. But I’m also thinking at least an 8ā€ SCT, perhaps a C11. I don’t really know. I’m thinking that perhaps he could’ve shortened up his shutter speed a bit more to get a sharper image of the ISS.

I’m really no photographer, so I’m just guessing.šŸ™‚

The Moon looks great. Very sharp, with great detail. He did a great job.

19 posted on 06/18/2025 2:49:55 PM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! šŸ”­)
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