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Credit & Copyright: Wally Pacholka
(TWAN)
Explanation:
Aloha and welcome to a breathtaking skyscape.
The dreamlike panoramic view looks out from the 4,200 meter volcanic
summit of Mauna Kea, Hawai'i,
across a layer of clouds toward a
starry night sky
and the rising Milky Way.
Anchoring the scene on the far left is the dome of the
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), with
north star Polaris shining beyond the dome to the right.
Farther right, headed by bright
star Deneb,
the Northern Cross asterism
is embedded along the plane of the Milky Way as it peeks above the
horizon.
Both Northern Cross and
brilliant white
Vega
hang over a foreground grouping of cinder cones.
Near the center are the reddish nebulae, stars and dust clouds of
the central Milky Way.
Below, illumination from the city lights of Hilo creates
an eerie, greenish glow in the clouds.
Red supergiant
star Antares shines above the
Milky Way's central bulge while bright
Alpha Centauri
lies still farther right, along the dusty galactic plane.
Finally, at the far right is the large
Gemini North Observatory.
The compact group of stars known as the
Southern Cross is just
left of the telescope dome.
Need some help identifying the stars?
Just slide your cursor over the picture, or download this smaller,
labeled
panorama.
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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: Milky Way - Mauna Kea
Publications with words: Milky Way - Mauna Kea
See also:
- APOD: 2024 August 4 Á Gaia: Here Comes the Sun
- APOD: 2024 July 29 Á Milky Way over Uluru
- APOD: 2024 May 29 Á Stairway to the Milky Way
- APOD: 2023 December 12 Á Aurora and Milky Way over Norway
- Milky Way Rising
- APOD: 2023 July 18 Á Milky Way above La Palma Observatory
- APOD: 2023 July 16 Á Meteor and Milky Way over the Alps