Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2024 September 11
A starry sky is shown with the busy central band of 
our Milky Way Galaxy showing diagonally from the upper left.
Mountains are on the horizon, with trees and a stream running
up from the foreground. 
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

A Night Sky over the Tatra Mountains
Image Credit: Marcin Rosadziński; Text: Natalia Lewandowska (SUNY Oswego)

Explanation: A natural border between Slovakia and Poland is the Tatra Mountains. A prominent destination for astrophotographers, the Tatras are the highest mountain range in the Carpathians. In the featured image taken in May, one can see the center of our Milky Way galaxy with two of its famous stellar nurseries, the Lagoon and Omega Nebula, just over the top of the Tatras. Stellar nurseries are full of ionized hydrogen, a fundamental component for the formation of Earth-abundant water. As a fundamental ingredient in all known forms of life, water is a crucial element in the Universe. Such water can be seen in the foreground in the form of the Bialka River.

Portal Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: open space


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