Friday, May 14, 2010

Apod 4.6 Iguaçu Starry Night

This image was taken at the Iguacu Falls National Park on the border of Brazil and Argentina in the Southern Hemisphere. Many prominent objects are visible in the night sky and in this image, including Alpha Centauri, Beta Centauri, the Coalsack, the Southern Cross, both Magellanic Clouds, the Carina Nebula, Sirius, and Canopus. From our location, only Sirius and Canopus are visible in the constellations Canis Major and Carina, respectively. It is nice to see this image because we have also studied Alpha and Beta Centauri, and both Magellanic Clouds, but have so far not been able to see them in the sky because our latitude is too high in the Northern Hemisphere. Another intriguing feature is the influence of light on the picture coming from Argentina's Iguazú Falls International Airport. The center of the image is very bright from the light coming from the airport, so either the airport must be very close and/or very bright. I didn't realize an airport could cause that much light and affect a region of the sky that is so large.

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