Astronomy Picture of the Day -- The Milky Way Over the Arizona Toadstools

NASA ^ | February 23, 2015 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: Which is older -- the rocks you see on the ground or the light you see from the sky? Usually it's the rocks that are older, with their origin sentiments deposited well before light left any of the stars or nebulas you see in the sky. However, if you can see, through a telescope, a distant galaxy far across the universe -- further than Andromeda or spiral galaxy NGC 7331 (inset) -- then you are seeing light even more ancient. Featured here, the central disk of our Milky Way Galaxy arches over Toadstool hoodoos rock formations in northern Arizona, USA. The unusual Toadstool rock caps are relatively hard sandstone that wind has eroded more slowly than the softer sandstone underneath. The green bands are airglow, light emitted by the stimulated air in Earth's atmosphere. On the lower right is a time-lapse camera set up to capture the sky rotating behind the picturesque foreground scene.

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit and Copyright: David Lane & R. Gendler (3 insets)]

[SunkenCiv]

This isn't so much astronomy as it is decor.

The Big One

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[cripplecreek]

Its cool but if I were the photographer I would be irritated as hell about the camera in the foreground.

[9thLife]

Interesting pic; disgusting title.

[Rebelbase]

Multiple exposures to produce that?

[Does so]

their origin sentiments deposited well before light left any of the stars

Auto-correct? ;)

I like hearing about these hoodoos—mostly because they're in "Cochise County, AZ"—which brings to mind the late Michael Ansara's Amerindian persona. (But Syrian-born).

[CPOSharky]

The photos were taken in Northern AZ and Cochise County, AZ is in the south east corner of AZ.

[PistolPaknMama]

Its cool but if I were the photographer I would be irritated as hell about the camera in the foreground.

Seriously. That's the first thing I saw.

[mikrofon]

Thanks for the reference to the late actor & ex-husband of Barbara Eden… Now you’ve got me thinking how the rock formation looks like the genie bottle which she “occupied” in the 60’s TV series ;-)

[rey]

Thanks for posting these.

I am entertained at how few comments these posts generate. Everyone has an opinion about something except maybe astrophysics.

The best I can do is to relate Mark Russell’s comments about the football inflation issue during the playoffs.

“Our planet is but a speck of dust rotating around a minor star in a remote corner of an obscure galaxy in a universe that is 20 billion years old. Ponder this and tell me if the air in a football is important.”