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Saturday, March 24, 2012

Beautiful Night Sky Photos!

Amos 5:8, "God is the one who made the star groups Pleiades and Orion;
he changes darkness into the morning light,
and the day into dark night.
He calls for the waters of the sea
to pour out on the earth.
The Lord is his name."

The Milky Way over Réunion Island, a winner in the 2nd International Earth and Sky Photo Contest on Dark Skies Importance
3rd Place, "Beauty of the Night Sky" Category
Photograph by Luc Perrot, TWAN
A July 2010 panoramic picture of the French island of Réunion captures the Milky Way over Piton de la Fournaise, or "p
eak of the furnace," an active volcano. The small island lies in the Southern Hemisphere, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Madagascar.
The shot includes the constellation known as the Southern Cross at upper right, as well as the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds hovering at the lower right. These "clouds" are actually dwarf satellite galaxies of the Milky Way.
"Besides technical experience and a good DSLR camera with a fast lens, the successful [landscape astrophotography] image is always made when you are in the right place at the right time, and planning for this needs some knowledge about astronomy and sky-gazing," TWAN's Tafreshi said.
"The best landscape astropictures come from those with high interest and practical experience in astronomy."

"Venus above Reunion Island" -- a winning picture in the 2nd International Earth and Sky Photo Contest on Dark Skies Importance
4th Place, "Against the Lights" Category
Photograph by Luc Perrot, TWAN
Even the lights from small towns can block out views of the cosmos, as illustrated by a September 2010 panorama taken from the mountains on France's island of Réunion. As Venus twinkles brightly, colorful village lights stain the fog over a valley. Even on clear nights, the glare from those lights may mean only the brightest stars and planets are visible from the villages.
Astronomers Without Borders' Simmons notes that he's seen a similar view from the Mount Wilson Observatory, "a historic, once dark facility located above what is now the megalopolis of the Los Angeles area" in California. "The clouds don't usually keep the light entirely in check, but the sky does darken when the clouds are thick enough."

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