Crowned Moon and the Seven Doves
April 08, 2010
Photographer: Aymen Ibrahem
Summary Author: Aymen Ibrahem
The photo above shows the Moon at first quarter occulting the Pleiades star cluster on the night of February 21, 2010. It was taken from the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt. The Pleiades are also known as the Seven Doves and the Seven Sisters. A purplish corona, caused by diffraction of moonlight in cloud droplets, enshrouds the lunar disk. Note also the earthshine on the top half of the Moon.
Photo details: Sony DSC H5 camera; two second exposure; 100 ISO; f/2.8; time of photo 8:49 p.m. (18:49 UTC).