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Birthday · May 5, 2016

The SONG and the Hunter

May 5, 2016

If the universe seems cold from a distance, birthdays are part of its rebuttal.

The SONG and the Hunter

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APOD published May 5, 2016. Credit: Mads Fredslund Andersen. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.

Behind the image

The SONG and the Hunter

Original APOD · May 5, 2016

Near first quarter, the Moon in March lights this snowy, rugged landscape, a view across the top of Tenerife toward La Palma in the Canary Islands Spanish archipelago. The large Teide volcano, the highest point in Spain, looms over the horizon. Shining above are familiar bright stars of Orion, the Hunter. Adding to the dreamlike scene is the 1 meter diameter prototype telescope of the global network project called the Stellar Observations Network Group or SONG. The SONG's fully robotic observatory was captured during the 30 second exposure while the observatory dome, with slit open, was rotated across the field of view.

Image credit: Mads Fredslund Andersen

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