Starship Asterisk*

The Milky Way over the Temple of Poseidon

Explanation: What's that glowing in the distance? Although it may look like a lighthouse, the rays of light near the horizon actually emanate from the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, Greece. Some temple lights are even reflected in the Aegean Sea in the foreground. Although meant to be a monument to the sea, in this image, the temple's lights seem to be pointing out locations on the sky. For example, the wide ray toward the right fortuitously points toward the Lagoon Nebula in the central band of our Milky Way, which runs diagonally down the image from the upper left. Also, the nearly vertical beam seems to point toward the star clouds near the direction of the Wild Duck open cluster of stars. The featured image was taken less than three weeks ago.

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That's a fine picture! And thanks for the annotation, Geck.

Ann

Too bad...for us it is just "light pollution"...though interesting and pretty....

But there is Saturn up there....and I like the annotations. I like to know what and where things are in a photograph.

:---[===] *

Saturn appears to be oblong. Is this because we see its rings?

I second the remark on light pollution. Disgraceful!

Light pollution is a scandal, abominable image! It is curious that in APOD you do praise.

What a shame Poseidon's brother Jupiter wasn't in the sky! Then he would have to point to him as well.
I suppose the photographer would have to come back when Jupiter is in a favourable position and then the photographer would radio the staff at the Temple of Poseidon to turn their search lights on again!

Thanks so much for the overlay information. A great help.

How remarkable to see the night skies of my ancestral home. To sit and muse of how the skies looked and the direct influences on art and culture in her development and subsequent influence on us all [ good and not so good ]. From someone who lives in the southern hemisphere.

De58te wrote:radio the staff at the Temple of Poseidon to turn their search lights on again!

A few green lasers would make a nice addition.
If you're going to go wild with lighting like this, you might as well take it past the limit of movie theatres and office towers.
I think it's kind of nice. Light pollution-wise it's also pretty minimal. That's better Milky way than I can ever photograph out of my backyard.
The display certainly would've flipped out Athenians of the sixth century BC.

Markus Schwarz wrote:Saturn appears to be oblong. Is this because we see its rings?

I don't think so (although the angle is about right). The resolution seems too low, and stars around Saturn show the same effect. I'd say it's a combination of star motion and lens aberration, mostly the latter.

oh man, you are killi'n me with this " blue on dark " overlay. The sun is pouring brightly into my south window, where I sit.

hoohaw wrote:I second the remark on light pollution. Disgraceful!

The effects of the light pollution are very 'Hollywood', for sure. It looks cool but is also a pain when stargazing. I am wondering if you can tell from the color/reflection if it is from humidity in the atmosphere, pollution (like from cars & factories) or dust from natural sources?

ta152h0 wrote:oh man, you are killi'n me with this " blue on dark " overlay. The sun is pouring brightly into my south window, where I sit.

The image is already darkened significantly to make the overlay easier to read. Having the sun shine on your screen results in a very poor viewing experience no matter what. I can't really help that. Acquire and/or close some blinds until the sun has passed.... or move your computer somewhere darker.

Ann wrote:That's a fine picture! And thanks for the annotation, Geck.

Ann

Ditto