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Astronomy Picture of the Day -- The Gegenschein Over Chile
NASA ^ | January 14, 2014 | (see photo credit)

Posted on 01/14/2014 4:49:49 PM PST by SunkenCiv

Explanation: Is the night sky darkest in the direction opposite the Sun? No. In fact, a rarely discernable faint glow known as the gegenschein (German for "counter glow") can be seen 180 degrees around from the Sun in an extremely dark sky. The gegenschein is sunlight back-scattered off small interplanetary dust particles. These dust particles are millimeter sized splinters from asteroids and orbit in the ecliptic plane of the planets. Pictured above from last year is one of the more spectacular pictures of the gegenschein yet taken. Here a deep exposure of an extremely dark sky over Las Campanas Observatory in Chile shows the gegenschein so clearly that even a surrounding glow is visible. Notable background objects include the Andromeda galaxy, the Pleiades star cluster, the California Nebula, the belt of Orion just below the Orion Nebula and inside Barnard's Loop, and bright stars Rigel and Betelgeuse. The gegenschein is distinguished from zodiacal light near the Sun by the high angle of reflection. During the day, a phenomenon similar to the gegenschein called the glory can be seen in reflecting air or clouds opposite the Sun from an airplane.

January 14, 2014

(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: andromeda; apod; astronomy; barnardsloop; betelgeuse; californianebula; gegenschein; m31; orion; orionnebula; pleiades; rigel; science
[Credit & Copyright: Yuri Beletsky (Las Campanas Observatory, Carnegie Institution)]

1 posted on 01/14/2014 4:49:49 PM PST by SunkenCiv
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To: brytlea; cripplecreek; decimon; bigheadfred; KoRn; Grammy; married21; steelyourfaith; Mmogamer; ...
The Big One

2 posted on 01/14/2014 4:50:18 PM PST by SunkenCiv (http://www.freerepublic.com/~mestamachine/)
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To: SunkenCiv

Beware the Gegenschein .


3 posted on 01/14/2014 4:54:45 PM PST by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: SunkenCiv

Wow. Using the full pic as wallpaper. Gorgeous!


4 posted on 01/14/2014 4:55:27 PM PST by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
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To: Talisker

Thanks for the idea!

Looks good on 12X17.


5 posted on 01/14/2014 5:09:22 PM PST by shibumi (Cover it with gas and set it on fire.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Gegenschein, darling, gegenschein ...

6 posted on 01/14/2014 5:26:30 PM PST by TigersEye (Stupid is a Progressive disease.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Bttt


7 posted on 01/14/2014 7:36:28 PM PST by ADemocratNoMore (Jeepers, Freepers, where'd 'ya get those sleepers?. Pj people, exposing old media's lies.)
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To: SunkenCiv
The Gegenschein Over Chile

Ain't no way I could pass up a thread with that title!
Didn't know what the hell to expect, but it didn't sound like a good thing :)

8 posted on 01/14/2014 7:49:06 PM PST by The Cajun (Sarah Palin, Mark Levin, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Louie Gohmert......Nuff said.)
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To: SunkenCiv

That picture is upside down :)

I was trying to orient myself, but, with Andromeda at the bottom and Orion at the top, it was difficult.

Hope to see this IRL one day.


9 posted on 01/15/2014 7:06:24 AM PST by Conan the Librarian (The Best in Life is to crush my enemies, see them driven before me, and the Dewey Decimal System)
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To: The Cajun

Sounds like a European mime troupe, eh? ;’)


10 posted on 01/15/2014 4:33:04 PM PST by SunkenCiv (http://www.freerepublic.com/~mestamachine/)
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