NASA Highlights 'Buck Moon and Belt of Venus' Captured Over Croatia
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for August 1, 2026, showcased a coastal landscape from Croatia featuring July's full Buck Moon, Earth's twilight shadow, and the pinkish Belt of Venus.
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) featured a photograph titled "Buck Moon and Belt of Venus" on August 1, 2026. The image was captured on July 28 by photographer Branko Nadj from Krk Island, located along the Adriatic coast of Croatia.
The photograph depicts the full Buck Moon—the traditional name for July’s full moon—rising over distant mountains during twilight. Alongside the rising moon, the scene illustrates rare atmospheric phenomena, including Earth’s diffuse gray shadow band extending above the southeastern horizon. Above Earth’s shadow lies the Belt of Venus, a pinkish antitwilight arch created by backscattered sunlight.
Astronomers noted that full moons rise as the Sun sets, creating atmospheric twilight layers visible across the horizon. The APOD feature also highlighted an upcoming astronomical event: a total solar eclipse set to occur on August 12, 2026, when the New Moon will cast its shadow across Earth.
Source attribution
- science.nasa.gov
Original source links
- science.nasa.gov: Original source
About this story
InstaBriefs summary based on the sources listed above — not a copy of the original article.
Tags
NASA · APOD · Buck Moon · Belt of Venus · Astronomy · Croatia
Every story is attributed and linked to its original source. Editorial standards
Related briefs
NASA Imagery Details Twice-Daily Tidal Shifts in Guinea-Bissau Archipelago
Satellite imagery from NASA and the USGS highlights how daily tides reshape Guinea-Bissau's Bijagós Archipelago, temporarily expanding island landmasses during low tide.
NASA Delivers NavCube3-mini Navigation System for Commercial Lunar Relay
NASA delivered its compact NavCube3-mini navigation receiver to Intuitive Machines on July 13 for integration into the Altus-1 lunar relay satellite. The receiver uses Earth-based GPS and Galileo signals to track positions in lunar orbit, supporting future crewed and robotic missions to the Moon.
Ike Theriot Leads NASA Surface Testing for Artemis Lunar Missions
Ike Theriot, Flight Operations Surface Testing lead at NASA's Johnson Space Center, is helping prepare astronauts for upcoming Artemis missions by developing simulated moonwalks, evaluating spacesuits, and conducting field training.
NASA Highlights Artemis Missions and Space Science at FIFA World Cup
NASA engaged over 500,000 visitors with interactive exhibits, astronaut appearances, and educational displays at the FIFA Fan Festival in Houston during the World Cup tournament.
NASA Highlights Vaporizing Meteor Over the Lacerta Nebula
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day highlighted a streak of a vaporizing meteor caught on camera directly in front of the Great Lacerta Nebula.
NASA Highlights 'Fire Rainbow' Phenomenon Over West Virginia
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day featured a circumhorizontal arc, popularly known as a 'fire rainbow,' captured near North Fork Mountain in West Virginia. The visual phenomenon relies on specific solar angles and horizontally aligned ice crystals in high cirrus clouds.