                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2022 December 13
      The featured image shows a person standing in mountainous terrain
    holding a light. Above are many sky icons including auroral arcs, the
   arc of the Milky Way, a meteor, and the stars of the Big Dipper. Please
             see the explanation for more detailed information.

                     An Artful Sky over Lofoten Islands
                 Image Credit & Copyright: Giulio Cobianchi

   Explanation: Can the night sky be both art and science? If so, perhaps
   the featured image is an example. The digital panorama was composed of
   10 landscape and 10 sky images all taken on the same night, from the
   same location, and with the same camera. Iconic features in the image
   have been artfully brightened, and the ground nearby was artfully
   illuminated. Visible in the foreground is the creative photographer
   anchoring an amazing view from the rugged Lofoten Islands of Norway,
   two months ago, by holding a lamp. Far in the distance are three
   prominent arches: our Milky Way Galaxy on the left, while a
   scientifically-unusual double-arced aurora is documented on the right.
   A meteor is highlighted between them. Other notable skylights include,
   left to right, the Andromeda Galaxy, the planet Jupiter, the star Vega,
   and the stars that compose the Big Dipper asterism.

                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

