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.
2020 March 7
Pic du Midi Panorama
Image Credit & Copyright: Patrick Lécureuil
Explanation: A surreal night skyscape, this panorama stitched from 12
photos looks to the west at an evening winter sky over Pic du Midi
Observatory, Pyrenees Mountains, Planet Earth. Telescope domes and a
tall communications tower inhabit the rugged foreground. On the right,
lights from Tarbes, France about 35 kilometers away impinge on the
designated dark sky site though, but more distant terrestrial lights
seen toward the left are from cities in Spain. Stars and nebulae of the
northern winter's Milky Way arc through the sky above. Known to the
planet's night skygazers, the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters still
hang over the western horizon near center. Captured in mid February the
familiar stars of the constellation Orion are to the left and include
the no longer fainting star Betelgeuse.
Tomorrow's picture: stellar winds
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)
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