Sunday, July 2, 2023

APOD - Milky Way and Aurora over Antarctica

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.

2023 July 2
A long vertical image shows a band of the night sky from  horizon at the bottom to the opposite horizon -- at the image top.  A person stands on a snow covered landscape with the central  band of the Milky Way running between horizons. Each horizon  is lit by red, yellow, and green auroras.  Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Milky Way and Aurora over Antarctica
Image Credit & Copyright: LI Hang

Explanation: It was one of the better skies of this long night. In parts of Antarctica, not only is it winter, but the Sun can spend weeks below the horizon. At China's Zhongshan Station, people sometimes venture out into the cold to photograph a spectacular night sky. The featured image from one such outing was taken in mid-July of 2015, just before the end of this polar night. Pointing up, the wide angle lens captured not only the ground at the bottom, but at the top as well. In the foreground, a colleague is taking pictures. In the distance, a spherical satellite receiver and several windmills are visible. Numerous stars dot the night sky, including Sirius and Canopus. Far in the background, stretching overhead from horizon to horizon, is the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. Even further in the distance, visible as extended smudges near the top, are the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, satellite galaxies near our huge Milky Way Galaxy.

Explore the Universe: Random APOD Generator
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