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                           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.   
      
                                   2025 March 4   
      A hazy night sky shows four lined up items. The closest two are lit-up   
      buildings on hills. Looming large in the background, in alignment, is a   
      gibbous Moon, distorted and reddened by the Earth's atmosphere. Across   
          the Moon's face is a streak that is an airplane. Please see the   
                    explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                         A Quadruple Alignment over Italy   
                     Image Credit & Copyright: Valerio Minato   
      
      Explanation: Why does this Moon look so unusual? A key reason is its   
      vivid red color. The color is caused by the deflection of blue light by   
      Earth's atmosphere -- the same reason that the daytime sky appears   
      blue. The Moon also appears unusually distorted. Its strange   
      structuring is an optical effect arising from layers in the Earth's   
      atmosphere that refract light differently due to sudden differences in   
      temperature or pressure. A third reason the Moon looks so unusual is   
      that there is, by chance, an airplane flying in front. The featured   
      picturesque gibbous Moon was captured about two weeks ago above Turin,   
      Italy. Our familiar hovering sky orb was part of an unusual quadruple   
      alignment that included two historic ground structures: the Sacra di   
      San Michele on the near hill and Basilica of Superga just beyond.   
      
         Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your friend's   
                               birthday? (post 1995)   
                         Tomorrow's picture: star sisters   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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