Astronomy Picture Of The Day Explore the cosmos Every day, a new image or photograph of the fascinating universe is presented along with a short explanation by an astronomer. 2021 August 26
Blue Hour Full Moon
Image Credit and Copyright: Giorgia Höfer
Explanation: Nature lovers and others who love planet Earth's beauty always look forward the blue hour. This is the time when the Sun sets just before sunset or sunrise, but the sky and land are still bathed in beautiful blue light. This blue hour photo captured the Moon rising above Cortina d'Ampezzo's rugged Italian Alps after sunset on August 21. The prominent alpine peak in the region, Monte Antelao's rocky pyramid, is also bluish-colored. Although the moonlight is yellow, some people refer to this full Moon as a Blue Moon. The reason is that a Blue Moon is the third full Moon in a season that has four full moons. This season is defined as the period between a solstice or equinox. The fourth full moon of this season will rise in the blue hour on September 20, just before September's Equinox.
