                        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 May 8

                           Deepscape at Yacoraite
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Franco Meconi

   Explanation: In this evocative night scene a dusty central Milky Way
   rises over the ancient Andean archaeological site of Yacoraite in
   northwestern Argentina. The denizens of planet Earth reaching skyward
   are the large Argentine saguaro cactus currently native to the arid
   region. The unusual yellow-hued reflection nebula above is created by
   dust scattering starlight around red giant star Antares. Alpha star of
   the constellation Scorpius, Antares is over 500 light-years distant.
   Next to it bright blue Rho Ophiuchi is embedded in more typical dusty
   bluish reflection nebulae though. The deep night skyscape was created
   from a series of background exposures of the rising stars made while
   tracking the sky, and a foreground exposure of the landscape made with
   the camera and lens fixed on the tripod. In combination they produce
   the single stunning image and reveal a range of brightness and color
   that your eye can't quite perceive on its own.

                      Tomorrow's picture: around Orion
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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.

