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Credit & Copyright: Yuri Beletsky
Explanation:
The glow of the southern Milky Way
and the well-known
Southern Cross
are featured in this colorful skyscape
recorded in April over La Frontera, Chile.
The Southern Cross
(Crux)
itself is at the right of the
20 degree wide field of view, topped by bright,
yellowish star
Gamma Crucis.
A line from Gamma Crucis through the blue
star at the bottom of the cross, Alpha Crucis,
points toward the south celestial pole.
Against faint Milky Way starlight, the dark expanse of the
Coal
Sack Nebula lies just left of the cross,
while farther left along the Milky Way are the bright stars
Hadar
and
Rigil
Kentaurus, also known as
Beta and Alpha
Centauri.
Blazing in the lower left, Alpha Cen is the closest star
to the Sun, a mere 4.3 light-years distant.
In fact, yellowish Alpha Cen is
actually a triple star
system that includes a sun-like star.
Seen
from Alpha Cen, our own Sun would be a bright yellowish
star in the otherwise recognizable constellation Cassiopeia.
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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: Southern Cross - Milky Way
Publications with words: Southern Cross - Milky Way
See also:
- 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
- APOD: 2023 July 2 Á Milky Way and Aurora over Antarctica
- APOD: 2023 June 20 Á The Nandu in the Milky Way
- APOD: 2023 May 29 Á Milky Way over a Turquoise Wonderland