APOD: That Night over Half Dome (2014 May 02)

[APOD Robot]

That Night over Half Dome

Explanation: Captured one night last May this eight frame mosaic starts on the left, down Northside Drive through Yosemite National Park. It ends thousands of light-years away though, as the arc of the Milky Way tracks toward the center of our galaxy on the right, far beyond the park's rugged skyline. That night was still moonless when the storm clouds retreated, so the rocky faces of the surrounding mountains are lit by campfires and artifical lights. Yosemite Falls is at the left. The granite face of Half Dome juts above the far horizon, near the center of the view. The remarkable flash above it is a bright meteor. Part of the annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower the colorful streak is moving up, its trail pointing directly back to the shower's radiant, low in Aquarius. This year's Eta Aquarids should peak in the moonless early morning hours of May 6 as the Earth sweeps through dust from the tail of Comet Halley.

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[Beyond]

Jumpin Jehoshaphat! The only thing missin is Yosemite Sam. A picture of him-->

[Ann]

This is a very beautiful picture.

Ann

[Ned Adams]

The shot is awesome but the APoD prose is consistently superb. The writers deserve our ongoing thanks for the clarity and insight they provide. The link choice is outstanding.

[orin stepanek]

Very nice!

[Boomer12k]

Wow, nice pic...Earth, and the Heavens...

:---[===] *

[CURRAHEE CHRIS]

Easily one of my favorites for 2014. Very beautiful

[Ron-Astro Pharmacist]

I love the symmetry of water falling from a flowing stream to a falling meteor from a stream of comet dust. Nice touch that its source was from a wellspring in Aquarius. Great job Rogelio!!

[LocalColor]

I love the symmetry of water falling from a flowing stream to a falling meteor from a stream of comet dust. Nice touch that its source was from a wellspring in Aquarius. Great job Rogelio!!

Your words are much more eloquent than I could have written about this image. Thank you.

[JoKerMc]

This is indeed a very beautiful photo -- wonderful composition. I am curious, though, about the number of people that "bend" the Milky Way into an arc in the pictures they submit to APoD. When I look up at the sky at night, I see (or used to, before the light pollution in my area) a thing of perfect beauty. Any artificial changes seem like a detraction, I think. Can anyone tell me what I'm missing?.

[StarManAlpha]

Step aside Ansel Adams! Wow...

[BMAONE23]

Jumpin Jehoshaphat! The only thing missin is Yosemite Sam. A picture of him-->

Isn't that His 'Half Dome" hat we see in the distance?

[geckzilla]

This is indeed a very beautiful photo -- wonderful composition. I am curious, though, about the number of people that "bend" the Milky Way into an arc in the pictures they submit to APoD. When I look up at the sky at night, I see (or used to, before the light pollution in my area) a thing of perfect beauty. Any artificial changes seem like a detraction, I think. Can anyone tell me what I'm missing?.

When you are outside looking at the sky you are looking at a three dimensional world. When you are at your computer looking at an image on your screen, you are looking at that three dimensional world projected on to a two dimensional surface. This is analagous to a globe being projected on a paper map.

[Chris Peterson]

This is indeed a very beautiful photo -- wonderful composition. I am curious, though, about the number of people that "bend" the Milky Way into an arc in the pictures they submit to APoD. When I look up at the sky at night, I see (or used to, before the light pollution in my area) a thing of perfect beauty. Any artificial changes seem like a detraction, I think. Can anyone tell me what I'm missing?.

The fact that you need to both bend and rotate your neck to observe the Milky Way visually should be a clue as to what is going on.

Consider the fact that both the horizon and the Milky way are essentially linear, but you never see the two as parallel, and they normally intersect in two places. Can you draw a pair of lines on a sheet of paper that intersect in two places but don't overlap?

[Anthony Barreiro]

My, this is a lovely picture. I'm honored. =====> =====> =====> =====> =====> =====> =====> =====>

[zol]

Why is the meteor streak green? What is causing that color?

[Anthony Barreiro]

Why is the meteor streak green? What is causing that color?

Colors of meteors -- The color of many Leonids is caused by light emitted from metal atoms from the meteoroid (blue, green, and yellow) and light emitted by atoms and molecules of the air (red). The metal atoms emit light much like in our sodium discharge lamps: sodium (Na) atoms give an orange-yellow light, iron (Fe) atoms a yellow light, magnesium (Mg) a blue-green light, ionized calcium (Ca+) atoms may add a violet hue, while molecules of atmospheric nitrogen (N2) and oxygen atoms (O) give a red light. The meteor color depends on whether the metal atom emissions or the air plasma emissions dominate.

("Leonids" are meteors from the Leonid meteor shower. I'm sure the same chemical processes take place in meteors from the Eta Aquariid and other meteor showers. And now I'm sure that Chris will correct me.)

[Guest]

This is indeed a very beautiful photo -- wonderful composition. I am curious, though, about the number of people that "bend" the Milky Way into an arc in the pictures they submit to APoD. When I look up at the sky at night, I see (or used to, before the light pollution in my area) a thing of perfect beauty. Any artificial changes seem like a detraction, I think. Can anyone tell me what I'm missing?.

The fact that you need to both bend and rotate your neck to observe the Milky Way visually should be a clue as to what is going on.

Consider the fact that both the horizon and the Milky way are essentially linear, but you never see the two as parallel, and they normally intersect in two places. Can you draw a pair of lines on a sheet of paper that intersect in two places but don't overlap?

Great, now if only someone could figure out how to do it to the actual sky, so that you needn't be bothered bending and rotating your neck in order to look at it.

[BDanielMayfield]

This is indeed a very beautiful photo -- wonderful composition. I am curious, though, about the number of people that "bend" the Milky Way into an arc in the pictures they submit to APoD. When I look up at the sky at night, I see (or used to, before the light pollution in my area) a thing of perfect beauty. Any artificial changes seem like a detraction, I think. Can anyone tell me what I'm missing?.

The fact that you need to both bend and rotate your neck to observe the Milky Way visually should be a clue as to what is going on.

Consider the fact that both the horizon and the Milky way are essentially linear, but you never see the two as parallel, and they normally intersect in two places. Can you draw a pair of lines on a sheet of paper that intersect in two places but don't overlap?

Great, now if only someone could figure out how to do it to the actual sky, so that you needn't be bothered bending and rotating your neck in order to look at it.

It's simple. Just develop eyes that bulge out of your head and can see a 180 degree field of view.

[Beyond]

Jumpin Jehoshaphat! The only thing missin is Yosemite Sam. A picture of him-->

Isn't that His 'Half Dome" hat we see in the distance?

I don't think so. Yosemite Sam is a 'star', but he's not 'that' starry.

[Ann]

My, this is a lovely picture. I'm honored. =====> =====> =====> =====> =====> =====> =====> =====>

The things they don't teach you in Swedish schools! What is Half Dome? Anthony, are you it???

Ann

[BDanielMayfield]

The things they don't teach you in Swedish schools! What is Half Dome? Anthony, are you it???

Check out the "Yosemite" and "face of half-dome" links in the description. Half Dome is Anthony's avatar, which his arrows are pointing at. He could even be out climbing it on this fine spring day. Via the cable route, I hope.

[Ann]

The things they don't teach you in Swedish schools! What is Half Dome? Anthony, are you it???

Check out the "Yosemite" and "face of half-dome" links in the description. Half Dome is Anthony's avatar, which his arrows are pointing at. He could even be out climbing it on this fine spring day. Via the cable route, I hope.

I was sort of joking. But seriously, I had to google "Half Dome" to know what it is! (Now that I have done so, I know it is a remarkable rock formation, and I don't believe that its middle name is Anthony.)

Ann

[Beyond]

I didn't know that's Anthony's avatar. All I could tell from his small picture is that it was a mountain. Thanks, Bruce.

[Anthony Barreiro]

I didn't know that's Anthony's avatar. All I could tell from his small picture is that it was a mountain. Thanks, Bruce.

When I was picking an asterisk avatar I had recently returned from a trip to Yosemite, so I chose an Ansel Adams picture of Half Dome on a whim. I don't claim any special identification with Half Dome. That granite will be there long after I'm dust. I was tickled to see Half Dome featured in an apod.

Ann, if you ever visit California, I hope you will go to Yosemite.