The celebrities of the Milky Means glisten within the evening sky above Chile’s Valle de la Luna in a brand new picture from the European Southern Observatory (ESO).
The picture captures the Milky Means galaxy illuminating the picturesque Valle de la Luna, which means “Valley of the Moon,” which is positioned within the Chilean Atacama Desert. Identified for its moon-like landscapes and rock formations, Valle de la Luna provides a mystical scene in an in any other case desolate space.
“The unusual geological formations protruding out of the desert ground are twisted and gnarled like outdated wizards’ hats, whereas the sky above is crammed with hundreds of stars and a myriad of mesmerizing colours,” ESO officers mentioned in a press release accompanying the picture on Nov. 27.
Associated: The Milky Means sparkles like fireworks on this desert view of our galaxy (picture)
Valle de la Luna is positioned close to ESO’s Atacama Giant Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) — a community of 66 radio telescopes that examine gentle from among the coldest objects within the universe. The realm is a superb place for stargazing, given the excessive altitude, dry air and distance from civilization and its inherent gentle air pollution. The realm’s local weather aids in ALMA’s observations, as water vapor in Earth’s environment can soak up the invisible gentle collected by the radio telescope, in line with the assertion.
“It is easy to see the place the valley will get its title from; the moon-like formations on the dried-up salt beds have been eroded by eons of publicity to the weather and really feel way more out of this world than of it,” ESO officers mentioned.
Valle de la Luna options tall rock formations, additionally referred to as spires, and canyons. Within the new ESO picture, the Milky Means arcs fantastically over a distinguished rock spire, which seems to be pointing viewers to the evening sky. Vivid blue stars are surrounded by pink clouds of fuel and dirt woven by the Milky Means.
“Because the evening unfolds, the sky comes alive with the glowing cascade of the Milky Means, illuminated by fuel and stars,” ESO officers mentioned. “The colourful purple colour dancing throughout the Milky Means comes from hydrogen atoms distributed all through our galaxy.”
