Explanation:
Capella,
alpha star of the constellation
Auriga,
rises over Mt. Everest in this panoramic view of the
top of the
world at night.
The scene was recorded in late November near Namche Bazar, Nepal,
gateway to the Himalayan mountain range.
Moonlight illuminates the
famous peaks of
Everest
(8840 meters) and Lhotse (8516 meters)
at the far left, and a stupa (a Buddhist religious
monument) in the foreground, along the main trail to the
Everest Base Camp.
The light in the valley is from the
Tengboche Monastery, also along
the trail at about 4000 meters.
From left to right above the moonlit peaks, the stars of Auriga give
way to bright giant star
Aldebaran
eye of the
Taurus the Bull, the Pleiades star cluster, alpha Ceti, and finally
alpha Phoenicis of
the Phoenix.
Peaks and stars can be identified by placing your cursor over the
image.
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