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. 2016 November 26



East to West, Light and Shadow

Image Credit & Copyright: Babak Tafreshi (TWAN)

Explanation: On this November morning an old crescent Moon and morning star rise just before the Sun in a wide panoramic skyscape from Kenya's Amboseli National Park. Still below the limbs of an acacia tree and the eastern horizon, the Sun's position is easy to find though. It's marked at the left by the subtle convergence of light and shadow in the dawn sky. Known as crepuscular rays, the warm-colored rays of sunlight are outlined by shadows cast by unseen clouds near the horizon. Arcing above the profile of Mount Kilimanjaro, toward the right the rays of light and shadow converge at the western horizon. There known as anti-crepuscular rays, they indicate the point opposite the rising sun. The cloud shadows are very nearly parallel, but converge toward the distant horizons because of perspective.