Astronomy Picture of the Day -- A Milky Way Dawn

NASA ^ | March 29, 2014 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: As dawn broke on March 27, the center of the Milky Way Galaxy stood almost directly above the European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory. In the dry, clear sky of Chile's Atacama desert, our galaxy's dusty central bulge is flanked by Paranal's four 8 meter Very Large Telescope units in this astronomical fisheye view. Along the top, Venus is close to the eastern horizon. The brilliant morning star shines very near a waning crescent Moon just at the edge of one of the telescope structures. Despite the bright pairing in the east, the Milky Way dominates the scene though. Cut by dust lanes and charged with clouds of stars and glowing nebulae, the center of our galaxy sprawls across the darker zenith even as the deep blue sky grows brighter and buildings still glint in moonlight.

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit & Copyright: Babak Tafreshi (TWAN), ESO Ultra HD Expedition]

[SunkenCiv]

Looks like a shot from the space station, but it isn't. :')

The Big One

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[Telepathic Intruder]

I got up to about 50 billion and lost count.

[left that other site]

Pretty, though! :-)

[blueunicorn6]

More evidence of Galaxy Warming. Fellow Earthlings, can you find it in your hearts to send $5, $10 or $3,000,000,000,000 to the STOP GALAXY WARMING FUND? I will use that money to plant a Spotted Owl to offset all the carbon that the Skrifornians are producing.

[PistolPaknMama]

You sure this is not a scam?

[TheOldLady]

Sweet! Buildings glinting in the moonlight at dawn, how romantic. ;-)