            APOD: 2017 July 26 - The Milky Way over Monument Valley

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                                 2017 July 26
                                      [2]
                      The Milky Way over Monument Valley
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Tom Masterson [3]

Explanation: You don't have to be at Monument Valley to see the Milky Way arc
across the sky like this -- but it helps. Only at Monument Valley [4] USA [5]
would you see a picturesque foreground [6]  that includes these iconic rock
peaks called buttes [7] . Buttes are composed of hard rock left behind after
water has eroded away the surrounding soft rock. In the featured image [8]
taken in 2012, the closest butte on the left [9]  and the butte to its right
are known as the Mittens [10] , while Merrick Butte [11] can be seen farther
to the right. Green airglow fans [12]  up from the horizon. High overhead
stretches [13] a band of diffuse light that is the central disk of our spiral
[14] Milky Way Galaxy [15] . The band of the Milky Way [16]  can be spotted by
almost anyone [17]  on almost any clear night when far enough [18]  from a
city and surrounding bright lights [19] , but a sensitive digital camera is
needed to capture these colors in a dark night sky.

                 Tomorrow's picture: sagittarius triplet [20]

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [32] (MTU [33] ) & Jerry Bonnell [34]
                                  (UMCP [35] )
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                           & Michigan Tech. U. [41]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1707/MonumentValley_Masterson_2048.jpg
  [3] https://www.flickr.com/photos/112501172@N04/
  [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_Valley
  [5] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/ the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
  [6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryqdoe6xLs4
  [7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butte
  [8] https://www.flickr.com/photos/112501172@N04/34809793763/
  [9] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/
Wfm_monument_valley_annotated.jpg
  [10] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0i03Sr8gY0
  [11] http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/File:Monument_Valley_Merrick_Butte.jpg
  [12] ap160127.html
  [13] ap110405.html
  [14] http://cas.sdss.org/dr6/en/proj/basic/galaxies/ spirals.asp
  [15] https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/
galaxy-location.html
  [16] ap080713.html
  [17]
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VLBleDJxEFU/UGT5YdlWU6I/AAAAAAAAATQ/VhXIDcuTbn8/
s1600/Best-dekstop-dog-Hd-wallpapers-13.jpg
  [18] ap010827.html
  [19] http://www.darksky.org/outdoor-lighting
  [20] ap170727.html
  [21] ap170725.html
  [22] archivepix.html
  [23] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [24] lib/aptree.html
  [25] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [26] calendar/allyears.html
  [27] /apod.rss
  [28] lib/edlinks.html
  [29] lib/about_apod.html
  [30] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=170726
  [31] ap170727.html
  [32] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [33] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [34] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [35] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [36] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [37] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [38] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [39] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [40] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [41] http://www.mtu.edu/
