Astronomy Picture of the Day - An Almost Everything Sky

NASA ^ | 23 Apr, 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Koen van Barneveld

[MtnClimber]

Explanation: This surprising sky has almost everything. First, slanting down from the upper left and far in the distance is the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. More modestly, slanting down from the upper right and high in Earth's atmosphere is a bright meteor. The dim band of light across the central diagonal is zodiacal light: sunlight reflected from dust in the inner Solar System. The green glow on the far right is aurora high in Earth's atmosphere. The bright zigzagging bright line near the bottom is just a light that was held by the scene-planning astrophotographer. This "almost everything" sky was captured over rocks on Castle Hill, New Zealand late last month. The featured finished frame is a combination of 10 exposures all taken with the same camera and from the same location. But what about the astrophotographer himself? He's pictured too -- can you find him?

[MtnClimber]

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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

[MtnClimber]

[MtnClimber]

Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

[spankalib]

Yeah, I found him!

THIS is one APOD that's worth enlarging!

How did he get that "rayed effect" in the light he's holding?

Out STANDING!

[UMCRevMom@aol.com]

Thank you for post

[dragnet2]

Software can easily create spikes like that.

It looks totally manipulated to me.

[No name given]

Wow.

[George from New England]

99% of nasa is fake colors and imagery

[Adder]

Beautiful!
Really like the rare and elusive light snake on the ground!

[blueunicorn6]

I don’t know for sure where that is, but I was there once when that guy hit me in the head with a baseball bat.

[telescope115]

I bet you saw more stars than what’s in the picture…..😁

[spankalib]

Ok. Thanks!

[dragnet2]

Even your electronic cell camera has in-camera processing, and slightly manipulates images. Most of what you see in astronomical images are post processing manipulation in an effort to squeeze out all the existing data or detail. However, some are way over processed and look terrible IMO.

From my perspective if enough light or data on extreme low light images is collected there is little need to over manipulate or over process an image.

[dragnet2]

No problem. Just a quick example below is Orion M42 nebula I shot last year. I try to avoid over manipulating deep space images. On this image I experimented and added star spikes via software. Everything else is basically what my camera/telescope saw, but those spikes were added for effect. I have the original that's spike free. Some people like them, some don't. I prefer not to use them. ☺

[spankalib]

Beautiful! (btw, I believe that’s where heaven is) ;)

[dragnet2]