NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 9 May 2023: Earth casts a double shadow
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When Earth casts its shadow, it appears smaller than the Moon itself! This is due to basic geometry, which states that when the size of a light source is larger than an object, the shadow it casts will always be smaller than the object itself. Although Earth also casts a shadow, it isn't usually visible because Earth is an opaque body. The Earth or the Moon only cast a visible shadow when an object that is usually illuminated by the Sun moves into their shade, as they are not transparent and do not allow sunlight to pass through them, which happens during eclipses.Today's NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day is a snapshot of shadows of Earth captured during a lunar eclipse. Two shadows can be observed in the provided picture. The upper part of the atmosphere is pink while the lower ...