Explanation:
Two fundamental planes of planet Earth's sky compete
for attention in this remarkable wide-angle vista,
recorded on January 23rd.
Arcing above the horizon and into the night at the left
is a beautiful band of
Zodiacal Light - sunlight scattered by
dust
in the solar system's ecliptic plane.
Its opponent on the right is composed of the
faint stars, dust clouds, and nebulae along
the plane of our
Milky Way Galaxy.
Both celestial bands stand above the domes and towers of the
Teide Observatory
on the island of Tenerife.
Also out to play in the pristine, dark skies over the Canary Islands,
are brilliant Venus (lower left),
the distant
Andromeda Galaxy (near center),
and the lovely
Pleiades star cluster (top center).
Of course, seasoned skygazers might even spot
M33, the
California Nebula,
IC1805, and the
double star cluster of Perseus.
(Need some help? Just slide your cursor over the picture.)
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