Explanation:
This rugged road through the dark Atacama Desert seems
to lead skyward
toward the bright stars and glowing nebulae of the
southern Milky Way.
If you follow the road you will get to Cerro Armazones peak
in Chile,
future construction site for the 40-meter class
European
Extremely Large Telescope.
For now though, sliding your cursor across the image will identify
wonders
of the southern skies in view.
The scene is dominated by the reddish glow of the
Great Carina Nebula,
one of our galaxy's largest star forming regions.
In fact,
the
remarkable skyscape is not a composite of varying
exposures or a photomontage.
Far from sources of light pollution,
the landscape illuminated by starlight and the Milky Way above
were recorded by a modified digital camera and fast lens.
The sensitive system captured both planet Earth and deep sky in a
relatively short exposure.
