June 26, 2023
On the day you were born, the universe was already ancient beyond measure — and yet, in all those billions of years, it had never once...
The Belt of Venus over Mount Everest
Birthday · June 26, 2023
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APOD published June 26, 2023. Credit: Soumyadeep Mukherjee. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
You've surely seen it, but you might not have noticed it. During a cloudless twilight, just before sunrise or after sunset, part of the atmosphere above the horizon appears slightly dark and off-color. Called the Belt of Venus, this transitional band between the dark eclipsed sky and the bright day sky can be seen most prominently in the direction opposite the Sun. Straight above, blue sky is normal sunlight reflecting off the atmosphere, while near the horizon the clear sky can appear more orange or red. In the Belt of Venus, the atmosphere reflects more light from the setting (or rising) Sun and so appears more red. Featured here, the Belt of Venus was photographed over several Himalayan mountains including, second from the right, Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth. Although usually not mentioned, the belt is frequently caught by accident in other photographs.
Image credit: Soumyadeep Mukherjee