25/03/2019 APOD: 2019 March 22 - A Symphony in Northern Winter Skies

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.

2019 March 22

A Symphony in Northern Winter Skies

Image Credit & Copyright: Lorenzo Ranieri Tenti

Explanation: Despite the cold, a chance to view the shimmering northern lights coaxed this skygazer onto
the frozen surface of Lake Superior on the west coast of the Keweenaw Peninsula and offered this nocturnal
crescendo as a reward. A northern late winter night sky also plays across the panoramic composition of
images made between 10pm and 1am on the night of February 28/March 1. At left, a faint band of Zodiacal
light rises sharply from the horizon crossing Mars and the Pleides star cluster. Both the distant galaxy M31
and our own Milky Way shine above the greenish auroral arc. Navigational north pole star Polaris is centered
above and accompanied on the right by the northern night's most recognizable asterism, the Big Dipper.
Terrestrial lights include markers for two breakwaters on the the horizon near the center of the scene.

Tomorrow's picture: seasonal selene

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