← Another date

Birthday · December 30, 2014

Observatory, Mountains, Universe

December 30, 2014

Galaxies were colliding long before you were born, and they will keep colliding long after us all.

Observatory, Mountains, Universe

A little universe, just for you

Your date.
Ready to give.

Free PNG · 1080 × 1350 · No account needed

Image rights and credit requirements apply when sharing or reusing imagery.

Change the year

APOD published December 30, 2014. Credit: Boris Dmitriev (Night Scape). A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.

Behind the image

Observatory, Mountains, Universe

Original APOD · December 30, 2014

The awesomeness in this image comes in layers. The closest layer, in the foreground, contains the Peak Terskol Observatory located in the northern Caucasus Mountains of Russia. The white dome over the 2-meter telescope is clearly visible. The observatory is located on a shoulder of Mt. Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, with other peaks visible in a nearby background layer. Clouds are visible both in front of and behind the mountain peaks. The featured three-image composite panorama was taken in 2014 August. Far in the distance is the most distant layer: the stars and nebulas of the night sky, with the central band of the Milky Way rising on the image right.

Image credit: Boris Dmitriev (Night Scape)

Explore December 30 in other years