
 APOD: 2024 January 22 – Shadows of Mountain and Moon  
Can the Moon and a mountain really cast similar shadows?
Yes, but the division between light and dark does not have to be aligned.
Pictured, a 
quarter moon was captured above the 
mountain Grivola in 
Italy in early October of 2022. 
The 
Sun is to the right of the 
featured picturesque landscape, 
illuminating the right side of the 
Moon in a 
similar way that it illuminates the right side of the mountain.
This 
lunar phase is called "
quarter" 
because the 
lit fraction visible from 
Earth is one quarter of the entire lunar surface. 
Digital post-processing of this single exposure gave both  
gigantic objects more prominence.
Capturing the 
terminator of this quarter moon in 
close alignment 
with nearly vertical mountain ridge required careful timing because the 
Earth rotates once a day.