July 24, 2014
Somewhere between the hydrogen and the starlight, between the gravity and the grace, the universe conspired to bring you into being.
ALMA Milky Way
Birthday · July 24, 2014
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published July 24, 2014. Credit: Yuri Beletsky. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
This alluring all-skyscape was taken 5,100 meters above sea level, from the Chajnantor Plateau in the Chilean Andes. Viewed through the site's rarefied atmosphere at about 50% sea level pressure, the gorgeous Milky Way stretches through the scene. Its cosmic rifts of dust, stars, and nebulae are joined by Venus, a brilliant morning star immersed in a strong band of predawn Zodiacal light. Still not completely dark even at this high altitude, the night sky's greenish cast is due to airglow emission from oxygen atoms. Around the horizon the dish antenna units of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, ALMA, explore the universe at wavelengths over 1,000 times longer than visible light. Participate: Take an Aesthetics & Astronomy Survey
Image credit: Yuri Beletsky