When I first saw this picture after reading about it, I said “Wow!” out loud with nobody to hear me but the cat. And even then, the cat was outside where I doubt if he even heard me. You might ask what is so special about this picture; we’ve seen hundreds like it from the Hubble Space Telescope and other sources. The reason I said Wow is that this picture was taken from the ground right here on Earth—by an amateur astronomer! In Australia, of all places. I didn’t know they even had astronomers, just outbackers, boomerangs and wombats. (Go ahead, Susan. Tear me a new one.) Some observers are calling this picture the finest ever by an amateur astronomer. Give it a click to view a larger version.I found it on Spaceweather.com where they post a lot of amateur pix of astronomical things, though their emphasis is mainly on what’s happening on the sun. The photographer, Anthony Wesley, is a world-famous amateur in astrophotography circles.
2 comments:
Australia has much better skies for seeing. Fewer cities, etc. That sure is a great photo. Have you seen the Bubble Nebula on todays Astronomy Picture of the Day? Click on it to get the larger image and then click on the bubble itself to enlarge it even more. then sit and ponder about Life, the Universe and Everything.
Wombats can kill you, you know, and don't forget the spiders, snakes and sharks. These guys were seen about an hour's drive form us:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11174456
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