Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2021 February 6

                           A Northern Winter Night
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Lukasz Zak

   Explanation: Snow blankets the ground in this serene forest and sky
   view. Assembled in a 360 degree panoramic projection, the mosaicked
   frames were captured at January's end along a quiet country road near
   Siemiony, northeastern Poland, planet Earth. The night was cold and
   between trees reaching toward the sky shine the stars and nebulae of
   the northern winter Milky Way. Near zenith is bright star Capella, a
   mere 43 light-years above the tree tops. Alpha star of the
   constellation Auriga the Charioteer and part of the winter hexagon
   asterism, Capella is a well-studied double star system. Follow the
   Milky Way above and right of Capella and you might spot the familiar
   stars of Orion in the northern winter night.

                     Tomorrow's picture: straggler stars
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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