                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2026 June 20

                       Daytime Moon Meets Evening Star
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Debra Ceravolo

   Explanation: Venus is now appearing on the celestial stage as Earth's
   brilliant evening star, performing with the Moon, other wandering
   planets, and bright stars in western skies. For evening sky gazers on
   June 17, the celestial beacon rose after sunset close by a young,
   slender, crescent Moon. But from some locations the Moon could be seen
   to occult or pass in front of Venus. And from a backyard observatory in
   southern British Columbia, Canada, the lunar occultation was played out
   in daylight. This stunning telescopic snapshot captured a scene in
   dramatically cloudy skies, following Venus' hour long disappearance, as
   the evening star emerged beyond the bright lunar limb.

                   Tomorrow's picture: keogram of the sky
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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