Stormy Occultation
August 20, 2009
Photographer: Stefano De Rosa
Summary Author: Stefano De Rosa
The photo above showing the waning crescent Moon and a bright splash of lightning was taken on July 18, 2009 from San Remo, Italy. I was patiently waiting to observe the occultation of the Pleiades by the Moon when the sky "exploded" behind ill-tempered clouds, silhouetted here by the flash of cloud-to-cloud lightning. The powerful flash illuminated the entire landscape and put an end to my peaceful evening of stargazing. Note the earthshine or earthlight -- reflected sunlight from the Earth shining on the darkened portion of the Moon.
Photo details: Canon EOS 1000D camera; 6 second exposure; F/5; 400 ISO; focal length 55 mm.
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