                        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.

                               2024 December 4

                              Driveway Analemma
                    Video Credit & Copyright: Nick Wright

   Explanation: Does the Sun return to the same spot on the sky every
   day?  No.  A more visual answer is an analemma, a composite of sky
   images taken at the same time and from the same place over a year.  At
   completion, you can see that the Sun makes a figure 8 on the sky. The
   featured unusual analemma does not, however, picture the Sun directly:
   it was created by looking in the opposite direction. All that was
   required was noting where the shadow of an edge of a house was in the
   driveway every clear day at the same time. Starting in March in Falcon,
   Colorado, USA, the photographer methodically marked the shadow's 1 pm
   location. In one frame you can even see the photographer himself.
   Although this analemma will be completed in 2025, you can start drawing
   your own driveway analemma -- using no fancy equipment -- as soon as
   today.

                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

