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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.   
      
                                  2023 December 2   
      
                    Startrails over Beijing Ancient Observatory   
                     Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai (TWAN)   
      
      Explanation: You can take a subway ride to visit this observatory in   
      Beijing, China but you won't find any telescopes there. Starting in the   
      1400s astronomers erected devices at the Beijing Ancient Observatory   
      site to enable them to accurately measure and track the positions of   
      naked-eye stars and planets. Some of the large, ornate astronomical   
      instruments are still standing. You can even see stars from the star   
      observation platform today, but now only the very brightest celestial   
      beacons are visible against the city lights. In this time series of   
      exposures from a camera fixed to a tripod to record graceful arcing   
      startrails, the brightest trail is actually the Moon. Its broad arc is   
      seen behind the ancient observatory's brass armillary sphere. Compare   
      this picture from the Beijing Ancient Observatory taken in September   
      2023 to one taken in 1895.   
      
                            Tomorrow's picture: moonset   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          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.   
      
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