A photo taken in the Ain region of France has been chosen by NASA as the Astronomy Picture of the Day on September 15, 2026. The image was captured by photographer Arnaud Mariat around noon on September 14, 2026, from the village of Cessy. It shows the Moon with an unusual celestial companion—Venus—just above it. Both celestial bodies appear as crescents in the photo, with Venus shining brighter than the Moon. Venus, often called the Evening Star, reflects more sunlight due to its dense cloud cover, while the Moon's surface is dark and lacks an atmosphere to reflect light. According to the photo, 25 percent of Venus's surface was illuminated by the Sun, compared to only 10 percent of the Moon's surface. NASA noted that the Moon was becoming harder to distinguish at the time the photo was taken, but both celestial bodies were clearly visible as crescents. This alignment of the Moon and Venus, known as an occultation, is a rare event where one celestial body passes in front of another from a specific viewpoint. An interesting aspect of this event is that only about 10 percent of Earth's surface could observe the occultation of Venus by the Moon. In France, the phenomenon may have been difficult to see during the day, but clear atmospheric conditions allowed photographers to capture the event. From the village of Cessy, Arnaud Mariat was able to take a striking image of the two celestial bodies. In Le Mans, another astrophotographer, Thierry Legault, also captured a similar and detailed photo of the Moon and Venus. His image, like Mariat’s, highlights the rare alignment of these two celestial bodies. Both photographers’ images have been recognized for their clarity and the unique celestial event they depict.