Astronomy Picture of the Day

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

September 26, 1995
See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.
Star Trails in Southern Skies
Credit: photograph by David Malin
Copyright: Anglo-Australian Telescope Board

Explanation: As the Earth spins on its axis, the sky seems to rotate around us. This motion produces the beautiful concentric arcs traced out by the stars in this time exposure of the night sky. In the foreground of the picture is the dome of the Anglo-Australian Telescope in central New South Wales Australia. In the middle of the picture is the South Celestial Pole, easily identified as the point in the sky at the center of all the star trail arcs.

Tomorrow's picture: A Venus Landing

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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (GMU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA).
NASA Technical Rep.: Sherri Calvo. Specific rights apply.
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