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Credit & Copyright: Gemini Observatory,
Peter Michaud & Kirk Pu'uohau-Pummill
Explanation:
Where will Gemini take us tonight?
It is dusk and Gemini North,
one of the largest telescopes on
planet Earth,
prepares to peer into the distant universe.
Gemini's flexible 8.1-mirror
has taken already effectively taken humanity to
distant stars,
nebulas,
galaxies, and
quasars, telling us about the geometry,
composition, and evolution of our universe.
The above picture is actually a composite of over
40 images taken while the Gemini dome rotated,
later adding an image of the star field taken
from the same location.
The Gemini dome is not transparent -- it only appears so
because it rotated during the exposures of this image.
The constellations of
Scorpius and Sagittarius can be seen above the dome, as well as the
sweeping band of our
Milky Way Galaxy,
including the direction toward the
Galactic center.
Gemini North's twin,
Gemini South,
resides in Cerro Pachn,
Chili.
This night, 2003 August 19,
Gemini North
took us only into the outer
Solar System,
observing
Pluto
in an effort to better determine the composition of its
thin atmosphere.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Mauna Kea - Gemini - Milky Way
Publications with words: Mauna Kea - Gemini - Milky Way
See also:
- APOD: 2024 November 24 Á Journey to the Center of the Galaxy
- APOD: 2024 November 5 Á Milky Way over Easter Island
- APOD: 2024 August 4 Á Gaia: Here Comes the Sun
- APOD: 2024 July 29 Á Milky Way over Uluru
- APOD: 2024 May 29 Á Stairway to the Milky Way
- APOD: 2023 December 12 Á Aurora and Milky Way over Norway
- Milky Way Rising