Gems of a Maldivean Night
Explanation:
The southernmost part of the Milky Way contains not only the stars of the Southern
Cross, but the closest star system to our Sun -- Alpha Centauri.
The
Southern Cross
itself is topped by the bright, yellowish star
Gamma Crucis.
A line from Gamma Crucis through the blue star at the bottom of the cross,
Acrux,
points toward the south
celestial pole,
located just above the small island in the
featured picture --
taken in early March.
That island is
Madivaru of the
Maldives in the
Indian Ocean.
Against faint
Milky Way starlight, the dark
Coal Sack Nebula
lies just left of the cross, while farther left along the
Milky Way are the bright stars
Alpha Centauri (left) and
Beta Centauri (Hadar).
Alpha Centauri A, a Sun-like star anchoring a three-star system with
exoplanets, is a mere 4.3
light-years distant.
Seen
from Alpha Centauri,
our own Sun would be a bright
yellowish star in the otherwise
recognizable
constellation Cassiopeia.
Almost Hyperspace:
Random APOD Generator
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
