Credit & Copyright: Elke Schulz
Explanation:
Stars seem
to arc through southern skies in this
surrealistic
time exposure -- recorded before moonrise from the
Gemini
South
Observatory, Cerro Pachon, Chile,
Planet
Earth.
During the one hour 40 minute exposure
camera and tripod were fixed,
so the concentric star trails are a
reflection
of Earth's daily rotation about its axis.
The view looks to the south and includes the
Gemini telescope enclosure in the foreground.
At the apparent center of the curving trails, the South
Celestial Pole
lies just off the upper left edge.
Two faint, wide streaks track the
Magellanic Clouds, satellites
of the Milky Way Galaxy, while a meteor flashes throught the scene
just left of the observatory.
Lights on the horizon are from the coastal cities of
La
Serena and Coquimbo.
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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: Gemini telescope - star trail
Publications with words: Gemini telescope - star trail
See also: