August 18, 2010
On your birthday, photons that left distant stars before humans walked the Earth finally completed their journey. You began yours.
Crescent Moon and Planets Over Portugal
Birthday · August 18, 2010
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published August 18, 2010. Credit: Miguel Claro. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Sometimes, it's fun to share the sky. Although it might appear that the two sky enthusiasts on the ridge are sharing only a crescent moon between them, three bright planets also stand before them. The brightest point in the sky is the planet Venus, while reddish Mars floats above it, and Saturn shines off to its right. In the foreground are picturesque clumps of sand of the beach at Costa da Caparica, before the reflecting waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The evening picked to planet gaze was a particularly good one as the Perseids meteor shower was also reaching its peak. Fortunately, this evening sky was not unique to Almada, Portugal last Thursday, but visible to sky enthusiasts the world over last week. These planets will all remain visible at sunset this week, although Venus will sink to the horizon as it closes in on the setting Sun.
Image credit: Miguel Claro