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Birthday · March 31, 2018

Twilight in a Western Sky

March 31, 2018

The Earth has carried you around the Sun again, steady as ever, while the stars kept their patient watch.

Twilight in a Western Sky

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APOD published March 31, 2018. Credit: Stan Honda. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.

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Twilight in a Western Sky

Original APOD · March 31, 2018

A slender crescent Moon and inner planets Venus and Mercury never wander far from the Sun in planet Earth's skies. In the fading evening twilight of March 18, they line up near the western horizon in this atmospheric skyscape. While the celestial scene was enjoyed around the world, this photo captures the trio, with fainter Mercury at the far right, above the crags of Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas. Tonight the Moon will be full though, and rise opposite the Sun. Look for it high in the sky at midnight, near bright star Spica.

Image credit: Stan Honda

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