﻿ Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]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. 2024 May 29 [2]A star filled sky shows the arch of the central band of our Milky Way galaxy across the top of the image. In the foreground is a rocky landscape with a hill ahead and a pathway that leads to stairs up that hill. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Stairway to the Milky Way Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Marcin Rosadziński Explanation: What happens if you ascend this [4]stairway to the Milky Way? Before answering that, let's understand the beautiful sky you will see. Most eye-catching is the grand arch of the [5]Milky Way Galaxy, the [6]band that is the central disk of our galaxy which is [7]straight but distorted by the wide-angle nature of [8]this composite image. Many stars well in front of the Milk Way will be visible, with the bright white star just below the [9]stellar arch being [10]Altair, and the bright blue star above it being [11]Vega. The [12]air glows green on the left, just above the yellow cloud deck. The [13]featured image was taken last month on [14]Portugal's [15]Madeira Island in the North [16]Atlantic Ocean. Oh, and what happens after you reach the top of these stairs and [17]admire the amazing sky is, quite probably, that you then [18]descend down the stairs on the other side. Your Sky Surprise: [19]What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995) Tomorrow's picture: tower moon __________________________________________________________________ [20]< | [21]Archive | [22]Submissions | [23]Index | [24]Search | [25]Calendar | [26]RSS | [27]Education | [28]About APOD | [29]Discuss | [30]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [31]Robert Nemiroff ([32]MTU) & [33]Jerry Bonnell ([34]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [35]Specific rights apply. [36]NASA Web Privacy, [37]Accessibility, [38]Notices; A service of: [39]ASD at [40]NASA / [41]GSFC, [42]NASA Science Activation & [43]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2405/StairwayToMilkyway_Marcin_6000.jpg 3. https://www.instagram.com/krakow_astrophotography/ 4. https://youtu.be/xbhCPt6PZIU 5. https://science.nasa.gov/resource/the-milky-way-galaxy/ 6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110710.html 7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230702.html 8. https://www.instagram.com/p/C6hAjiSLuxd/ 9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221023.html 10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altair 11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vega 12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220313.html 13. https://www.instagram.com/p/C6hAjiSLuxd/ 14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal 15. https://youtu.be/Y29s7aPfKeY?t=7 16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Ocean 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040808.html 18. https://youtu.be/fDKDC_IUnOA?t=20 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240528.html 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 24. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 26. https://apod.com/feed.rss 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 29. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240529 30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240530.html 31. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 32. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 33. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 34. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 36. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 37. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 38. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 39. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 40. https://www.nasa.gov/ 41. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 42. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 43. http://www.mtu.edu/