APOD: Southern Sky from 38,000 Feet (2021 Jan 30)

[APOD Robot]

Southern Sky from 38,000 Feet

Explanation: Celestial sights of the southern sky shine above a cloudy planet Earth in this gorgeous night sky view. The scene was captured from an airliner's flight deck at 38,000 feet on a steady westbound ride to Lima, Peru. To produce the sharp airborne astrophotograph, the best of a series of short exposures were selected and digitally stacked. The broad band of the southern Milky Way begins at top left with the dark Coalsack Nebula and Southern Cross. Its expanse of diffuse starlight encompasses the the Carina Nebula and large Gum Nebula toward the right. Canopus, alpha star of Carina and second brightest star in Earth's night is easy to spot below the Milky Way, as is the dwarf galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud. The Small Magellanic cloud just peeks above the cloudy horizon. Of course, the South Celestial Pole also lies within the starry southern frame.

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[orin stepanek]

So damn many stars ; who could possibly name them all? If You could possibly visit them; which would you see first? If there are 10 planets/star---OMG that's a bunch of planets ! Don't mind me; I just imagine a lot!

[johnnydeep]

Southern Sky from 38,000 Feet

Explanation: Celestial sights of the southern sky shine above a cloudy planet Earth in this gorgeous night sky view. The scene was captured from an airliner's flight deck at 38,000 feet on a steady westbound ride to Lima, Peru. To produce the sharp airborne astrophotograph, the best of a series of short exposures were selected and digitally stacked. The broad band of the southern Milky Way begins at top left with the dark Coalsack Nebula and Southern Cross. Its expanse of diffuse starlight encompasses the the Carina Nebula and large Gum Nebula toward the right. Canopus, alpha star of Carina and second brightest star in Earth's night is easy to spot below the Milky Way, as is the dwarf galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud. The Small Magellanic cloud just peeks above the cloudy horizon. Of course, the South Celestial Pole also lies within the starry southern frame.

I really wish these pics were annotated more often. Did I get this right?

Southern Sky - Annotated

[alter-ego]

Southern Sky from 38,000 Feet

Explanation: Celestial sights of the southern sky shine above a cloudy planet Earth in this gorgeous night sky view. The scene was captured from an airliner's flight deck at 38,000 feet on a steady westbound ride to Lima, Peru. To produce the sharp airborne astrophotograph, the best of a series of short exposures were selected and digitally stacked. The broad band of the southern Milky Way begins at top left with the dark Coalsack Nebula and Southern Cross. Its expanse of diffuse starlight encompasses the the Carina Nebula and large Gum Nebula toward the right. Canopus, alpha star of Carina and second brightest star in Earth's night is easy to spot below the Milky Way, as is the dwarf galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud. The Small Magellanic cloud just peeks above the cloudy horizon. Of course, the South Celestial Pole also lies within the starry southern frame.

I really wish these pics were annotated more often. Did I get this right?

Southern Sky.jpg

Not quite.
Carina nebula = Running Chicken Nebula
Gum Nebula = Carina Nebula

The Gum Nebula an expansive 36° nebula, part it you see further to the right above Canopus.

[Tszabeau]

Surely, with all those spiritual references up there, one of those clouds is Heaven and the other Hell.

[Ann]

Southern Sky from 38,000 Feet

Explanation: Celestial sights of the southern sky shine above a cloudy planet Earth in this gorgeous night sky view. The scene was captured from an airliner's flight deck at 38,000 feet on a steady westbound ride to Lima, Peru. To produce the sharp airborne astrophotograph, the best of a series of short exposures were selected and digitally stacked. The broad band of the southern Milky Way begins at top left with the dark Coalsack Nebula and Southern Cross. Its expanse of diffuse starlight encompasses the the Carina Nebula and large Gum Nebula toward the right. Canopus, alpha star of Carina and second brightest star in Earth's night is easy to spot below the Milky Way, as is the dwarf galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud. The Small Magellanic cloud just peeks above the cloudy horizon. Of course, the South Celestial Pole also lies within the starry southern frame.

I really wish these pics were annotated more often. Did I get this right?

Southern Sky.jpg

Not quite.
Carina nebula = Running Chicken Nebula
Gum Nebula = Carina Nebula

The Gum Nebula an expansive 36° nebula, part it you see further to the right above Canopus.

Wolf-Rayet star WR 124 and the nebula of the star's own making, M1-67. The Wolf-Rayet star in Gamma Velorum does not have a similar nebula. Photo: ESA/Hubble.

---

I would like to add that the Gum Nebula is the long reddish strip at 2 o'clock. And the brightest blue star inside that red strip is the magnificent Gamma Velorum, a quadruple star which contains an O-type supergiant and the nearest Wolf-Rayet star in the sky.

A Wolf-Rayet star is a highly evolved very hot star. It started out as a massive O-type star, but its extremely strong wind has blown away more than half of its original mass and exposed extra hot layers inside.

I'd like to add, too, that I really like this APOD.

Ann

[johnnydeep]

Southern Sky from 38,000 Feet

Explanation: Celestial sights of the southern sky shine above a cloudy planet Earth in this gorgeous night sky view. The scene was captured from an airliner's flight deck at 38,000 feet on a steady westbound ride to Lima, Peru. To produce the sharp airborne astrophotograph, the best of a series of short exposures were selected and digitally stacked. The broad band of the southern Milky Way begins at top left with the dark Coalsack Nebula and Southern Cross. Its expanse of diffuse starlight encompasses the the Carina Nebula and large Gum Nebula toward the right. Canopus, alpha star of Carina and second brightest star in Earth's night is easy to spot below the Milky Way, as is the dwarf galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud. The Small Magellanic cloud just peeks above the cloudy horizon. Of course, the South Celestial Pole also lies within the starry southern frame.

I really wish these pics were annotated more often. Did I get this right?

Southern Sky.jpg

Not quite.
Carina nebula = Running Chicken Nebula
Gum Nebula = Carina Nebula

The Gum Nebula an expansive 36° nebula, part it you see further to the right above Canopus.

Thanks. With the corrections, I now have this (but I couldn't spot the Gamma Velorum star that Ann mentioned as being in the Gum Nebula because I don't see any particular blue star there):

[ EDIT: edited to add Gamma Velorum as pointed out explicitly by Ann. ]

Southern Sky - Annotated and Corrected 2

[Ann]

I really wish these pics were annotated more often. Did I get this right?

Southern Sky.jpg

Not quite.
Carina nebula = Running Chicken Nebula
Gum Nebula = Carina Nebula

The Gum Nebula an expansive 36° nebula, part it you see further to the right above Canopus.

Thanks. With the corrections, I now have this (but I couldn't spot the Gamma Velorum star that Ann mentioned as being in the Gum Nebula because I don't see any particular blue star there):

Southern Sky.jpg

That's Gamma Velorum.

Ann

[nwtrail]

I'm in awe of the LMC and SMC, visible in the southern skies. They're dwarfed by our own galaxy, though, so how impressive would our galaxy be to a resident of our neighbors? Has anyone produced a visualization of what the Milky Way might look like in the sky of an LMC planet? What would its angular diameter be?

[Chris Peterson]

I'm in awe of the LMC and SMC, visible in the southern skies. They're dwarfed by our own galaxy, though, so how impressive would our galaxy be to a resident of our neighbors? Has anyone produced a visualization of what the Milky Way might look like in the sky of an LMC planet? What would its angular diameter be?

From them, our galaxy would resemble the Milky Way as we see it in our own sky, but forming a band somewhat wider.

[johnnydeep]

Not quite.
Carina nebula = Running Chicken Nebula
Gum Nebula = Carina Nebula

The Gum Nebula an expansive 36° nebula, part it you see further to the right above Canopus.

Thanks. With the corrections, I now have this (but I couldn't spot the Gamma Velorum star that Ann mentioned as being in the Gum Nebula because I don't see any particular blue star there):

Southern Sky.jpg

Southern sky with Gamma Velorum.png

That's Gamma Velorum.

Ann

Thanks! I'll update my post to add it.

[TheZuke!]

As the Gum Nebula appears to be rather pink, I'm guessing it is the popular Raspberry flavor.
But, I'm not willing to sample it to find out.
It looks like it was stuck there by someone who was tired of chewing on it.