                        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.

                              2022 September 19

                 Star Trails and Lightning over the Pyrenees
                Image Credit & Copyright: Marc Sellés Llimós

   Explanation: The beauty in this image comes in layers. On the bottom
   layer is the picturesque village of Manlleu in Barcelona, Spain. The
   six-minute exposure makes car lights into streaks. The next layer is a
   mountain -- Serra de Bellmunt -- of Europe's famous Pyrenees. Next up
   is a tremendous lightning storm emanating from a classically-shaped
   anvil cloud. The long exposure allowed for the capture of many
   intricate lightning bolts. Finally, at the top and furthest in the
   distance are stars. Here, the multi-minute exposure made stars into
   trails. The trailing effect is caused by the rotation of the Earth, and
   the curvature of the trails indicates their distance from the north
   spin pole of the Earth above. Taken after sunset in early June, the
   lightning storm soon moved off. The stars, though, will continue to
   circle the poll for as long as the Earth spins -- surely billions of
   years into the future.

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