February 5, 2012
Your birthday marks the moment a small planet circling a modest star gained another witness to its wonders.
Lunation
Birthday · February 5, 2012
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APOD published February 5, 2012. Credit: Ant�nio Cidad�o. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Our Moon's appearance changes nightly. This time-lapse sequence shows what our Moon looks like during a lunation, a complete lunar cycle. As the Moon orbits the Earth, the half illuminated by the Sun first becomes increasingly visible, then decreasingly visible. The Moon always keeps the same face toward the Earth. The Moon's apparent size changes slightly, though, and a slight wobble called a libration is discernible as it progresses along its elliptical orbit. During the cycle, sunlight reflects from the Moon at different angles, and so illuminates different features differently. A full lunation takes about 29.5 days, just under a month (moon-th). APOD in India: APOD editor to speak in Delhi on Feb. 12 (registration required)
Image credit: Ant�nio Cidad�o