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                           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 March 28   
      
                             Gems of a Maldivean Night   
      Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Hor+ílek (ESO Photo Ambassador, Inst. of   
                                 Physics in Opava)   
      
      Explanation: The southernmost part of the Milky Way contains not only   
      the stars of the Southern Cross, but the closest star system to our Sun   
      -- Alpha Centauri. The Southern Cross itself is topped by the bright,   
      yellowish star Gamma Crucis. A line from Gamma Crucis through the blue   
      star at the bottom of the cross, Acrux, points toward the south   
      celestial pole, located just above the small island in the featured   
      picture -- taken in early March. That island is Madivaru of the   
      Maldives in the Indian Ocean. Against faint Milky Way starlight, the   
      dark Coal Sack Nebula lies just left of the cross, while farther left   
      along the Milky Way are the bright stars Alpha Centauri (left) and Beta   
      Centauri (Hadar). Alpha Centauri A, a Sun-like star anchoring a   
      three-star system with exoplanets, is a mere 4.3 light-years distant.   
      Seen from Alpha Centauri, our own Sun would be a bright yellowish star   
      in the otherwise recognizable constellation Cassiopeia.   
      
                     Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator   
                         Tomorrow's picture: planet planet   
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          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.   
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                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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