
February 8, 2018
Bow Tie Moon and Star Trails

February 8, 2018
Bow Tie Moon and Star Trails
A little universe, just for you
Free PNG · 1080 × 1350 · No account needed
Image rights and credit requirements apply when sharing or reusing imagery.
APOD published February 8, 2018. Credit: Haitong Yu. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
On January 31, a leisurely lunar eclipse was enjoyed from all over the night side of planet Earth, the first of three consecutive total eclipses of the Moon. This dramatic time-lapse image followed the celestial performance for over three hours in a combined series of exposures from Hebei Province in Northern China. Fixed to a tripod, the camera records the Full Moon sliding through a clear night sky. Too bright just before and after the eclipse, the Moon's bow tie-shaped trail grows narrow and red during the darker total eclipse phase that lasted an hour and 16 minutes. In the distant background are the colorful trails of stars in concentric arcs above and below the celestial equator.
Image credit: Haitong Yu