Milky Way & Nebulae over Maunakea, Hawaii

Milky Way & Nebulae over Maunakea, Hawaii

"Have you ever seen the band of our Milky Way Galaxy? In a clear sky from a dark location at the right time, a faint band of light becomes visible across the sky. Soon after your eyes become dark adapted, you might spot the band for the first time. It may then become obvious. Then spectacular. One reason for your growing astonishment might be the realization that this fuzzy swath, the Milky Way, contains billions of stars. Visible in the featured image, high above in the night sky, the band of the Milky Way Galaxy arcs. Also visible are the colorful clouds of Rho Ophiuchi on the right, and the red and circular Zeta Ophiuchi nebula near the top center. Taken in late February from Maunakea, Hawaii, USA, the foreground telescope is the University of Hawaii's 2.2-Meter Telescope. Fortunately, you do not need to be near the top of a Hawaiian volcano to see the Milky Way."

Image Description: A wide starfield is shown with the dark and light band arching horizontally across the middle. On the right is a colorful and complex nebula, and near the top center is a red circular nebula.

Image Credit & Copyright: Marzena Rogozinska

Marzena's website:

https://www.instagram.com/marzena_astrophotography/

Image Date: February 2025
Release Date: May 20, 2025

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #MilkyWayGalaxy #Nebulae #RhoOphiuchi #ZetaOphiuchi #Cosmos #Universe #UHawaii #UHawaiiTelescope #Maunakea #Hawaii #GSFC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #APoD