Point Reyes Milky Way

Northern winterconstellations and a long arc of the Milky Wayare setting in this night skyscape looking toward the Pacific Ocean fromPoint Reyes onplanet Earth'sCalifornia coast.Sirius, alpha star of Canis Major, is prominent below the starry arctoward the left.Orion's yellowishBetelgeuse, Aldebaran in Taurus, and the blue tintedPleiades star clusteralso find themselves betweenMilky Way and northwestern horizon near the center of the scene.The nebulae visible in the series of exposures used to constructthis panoramic view were captured in early March,but are just too faint to be seen with the unaided eye.On that northern night theirexpansive glow includesthe reddish semi-circle of Barnard's Loopin Orion andNGC 1499 above and right of the Pleiades, also known as theCalifornia Nebula.

Image Credit &Copyright:Dan Zafra

Specific copyrights apply.

View image source