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Credit & Copyright: Lucy Yunxi Hu
Explanation:
This is a sky filled with glowing icons.
On the far left is the familiar
constellation of Orion, divided by its iconic three-aligned
belt stars and featuring the famous
Orion Nebula, both partly encircled by
Barnard's Loop.
Just left of center in the featured image is the brightest star in the night:
Sirius.
Arching across the image center is the central band of our
Milky Way Galaxy.
On the far right, near the top, are the two brightest
satellite galaxies of the Milky Way: the
Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), and the
Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC).
Also on the far right -- just above the cloudy horizon -- is the
constellation of Crux,
complete with the four stars that make the iconic
Southern Cross.
The featured image is a composite of 18 consecutive exposures
taken by the same camera and from the same location in eastern
Australia
during the last days of last year.
In the foreground, picturesque basalt columns of the
Bombo Quarry part to
reveal
the vast
Pacific Ocean.
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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: Orion - Southern Cross
Publications with words: Orion - Southern Cross
See also: