                        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
                    Tomorrow's picture: venus beyond blue
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