Explanation:
Scroll right and journey from horizon to horizon as your gaze sweeps
through
the zenith in
the night
sky over Beg-Meil, France.
Recorded on December 13th,
the entertaining panorama
(image key)
covers 210 degrees
in 21 separate exposures, beginning on the beach with bright star
Sirius rising in the southeast.
Look up (pan right) to encounter the nebula rich constellation
of Orion and
continue on to find the lovely Pleiades
star cluster.
Farther along, higher in the sky, is the famous
Comet Holmes,
still
gracing the northern hemisphere's night with its
remarkable expanding coma.
Finally, just before diving into the
urban glow from city lights along
the northwestern horizon (far right), check out the
double star cluster in
Perseus and take in the cosmic streak of a bright
Geminid
Meteor.
APOD presents: Astronomy Pictures of the Year for 2007
