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Credit: D. Cooke
Explanation:
It was truly a busy sky. In one of the more spectacular photos yet submitted to
Astronomy Picture of the Day,
Don Cooke of
Lyme, New Hampshire
caught the
Sun,
Moon,
Earth,
night sky,
Pleiades star cluster, and
Comet Hale-Bopp all in one frame.
The first leg of this "triple crown" exposure was of the
Sun, taken at 6:55 pm on April 10th 1997.
Through a dark filter, the
Sun
appears as the bright dot on the lower right of the image.
A second filtered exposure was then taken after the Sun had set,
one hour and 40 minutes later - this time featuring the
Moon. The Moon appears as a crescent superimposed on an
odd-shaped dark circle protruding into the left of the image.
This shadow is actually a silhouette of a driveway reflector
mounted on an aluminum rod used to block out the bright moon - so
as to allow a third exposure, this time unfiltered, of the background night sky.
And what a beautiful sky it is. Highlights include
Comet Hale-Bopp, on the right, and the
Pleiades star cluster,
near the center. But what, you may wonder,
is that bright light near the center of the picture?
Don't worry if you can't guess: it's a porch light from a house across the river!
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Comet Hale-Bopp
Publications with words: Comet Hale-Bopp
See also: