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.

                                2026 April 21
   [2]A starry sky is seen above snowy mountains. In the sky three arches
    are visible, with the Milky Way on either side and zodiacal light in
    the center. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                      Three Sky Arches over Snowy Alps
                   Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Angel Fux

   Explanation: Why are there three arches across the sky instead of two?
   Last month, after being [4]dropped off by a helicopter at a [5]high
   mountain peak in the [6]Alps near the [7]Swiss [8]Italian border, an
   adventurous astrophotographer expected two arches of [9]our Milky Way
   galaxy to be [10]visible during the night. These were the inner arch
   looking in [11]toward the center of our galaxy on the left, visible
   just before sunrise, and the [12]outer arch on the right visible just
   after sunset. But there were three arches. The [13]surprised
   [14]astrophotographer soon realized that the sky was [15]so dark that
   an [16]entire arc of faint [17]zodiacal light was also noticeable --
   sunlight scattered by inner [18]Solar System dust. And it artfully
   connected the two Milky Way arches! The next morning a helicopter
   picked the astrophotographer back up, and after 40 hours of processing
   and combining that night's images, the [19]featured triple-arch
   360-degree panorama resulted.

               Jigsaw Vistas: [20]Astronomy Puzzle of the Day
                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [32]Robert Nemiroff ([33]MTU) & [34]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([35]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [36]Specific rights apply.
            [37]NASA Web Privacy, [38]Accessibility, [39]Notices;
                A service of: [40]ASD at [41]NASA / [42]GSFC,
                         [43]NASA Science Activation
                           & [44]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2604/TripleArchAlps_Fux_7500.jpg
   3. https://www.instagram.com/angelfux
   4. https://blog.angelfux.com/p/triple-arch-at-4200m-matterhorn
   5. https://youtu.be/rxeK5Q2N-Is?t=617
   6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alps
   7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland
   8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy
   9. https://science.nasa.gov/asset/webb/milky-way-and-our-location/
  10. https://capturetheatlas.com/best-time-to-see-the-milky-way/
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251109.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220312.html
  13. https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/2jqsdk/the_omg_cat/#lightbox
  14. https://www.levoyageur.ch/women-invited/angel-fux
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200408.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170429.html
  17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiacal_light
  18. https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/solar-system/#/home
  19. https://www.instagram.com/p/DWbq_YKjW0X/
  20. https://www.scigames.org/apps/webjigsaw2/index.php
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260420.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  25. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  27. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  30. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260421
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260422.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. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  38. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  40. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  43. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  44. http://www.mtu.edu/