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Credit & Copyright: David Lane &
R. Gendler (3 insets)
Explanation:
Which is older -- the rocks you see on the ground or the light you see from the sky?
Usually its the rocks that are older, with their origin sentiments deposited well
before light left any of the stars or nebulas you see in the sky.
However, if you can see, through a telescope, a distant galaxy far across the universe
-- further than
Andromeda or spiral galaxy
NGC 7331 (inset) -- then you are seeing light even more
ancient.
Featured here, the central disk of our
Milky Way Galaxy arches over Toadstool
hoodoos rock formations
in northern
Arizona,
USA.
The unusual
Toadstool rock caps
are relatively hard
sandstone
that wind has eroded more slowly than the softer sandstone underneath.
The green bands are
airglow, light emitted by the
stimulated air in
Earth's atmosphere.
On the lower right is a time-lapse camera set up to capture the
sky rotating behind the picturesque foreground scene.
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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
Publications with words: 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