2025年7月2日
Milky Way Through Otago Spires
Image Credit & Copyright: Kavan Chay; Text: Ogetay Kayali (Michigan Tech U.)
Explanation: Does the Milky Way always rise between these two rocks? No. Capturing this stunning alignment took careful planning: being in the right place at the right time. In the featured image taken in June 2024 from Otago, New Zealand, the bright central core of our Milky Way Galaxy, home to the many of our Galaxy’s 400 billion stars, can be seen between two picturesque rocks spires. For observers in Earth‘s Northern Hemisphere, the core is only visible throughout the summer. As Earth orbits the Sun, different parts of the Milky Way become visible at different angles at different times of the night. As Earth rotates, the orientation of the Milky Way in the sky also shifts — sometimes standing vertically as seen in the featured image, and other times stretching parallel to the horizon, making it harder to see. In early June, observers can watch it emerge low on the horizon after sunset and gradually arc upward to reveal its full grandeur.
Tomorrow’s picture: pixels in space
奥塔哥尖塔石与银河
影像提供与版权: Kavan Chay; 文稿: Ogetay Kayali (Michigan Tech U.)
说明: 银河总是从这二座尖塔石之间升起吗？当然没这回事。 想拍下这种令人屏息的对齐景观，需要经过仔细规划，而且取像的时间和位置都要很精准。在这幅2024年6月摄于新西兰奥塔哥大区（Otago）的主题影像里，成员星数达4000多亿颗的银河系里，由众多繁星聚成的明亮核心，出现在二座美丽的尖塔石柱之间。对地球 北半球的观星者来说，只有在夏季才能见到银河中心。此外，随着地球绕太阳公转，不同区域的银河会轮番悬在空中，而且在夜晚不同时段，我们见到的银河倾角也不同。受到地球自转的影响，银河在夜空的指向，如同这幅主题影像所示，可垂直上指，而在夜晚的某些时段则是平行地平线伸展，此时，银河也变得较难辨识。在每年的6月初，观察者可在日落后见到银河浮出地平线，然后逐渐攀升展现完整的风华。
明日的图片: pixels in space
