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Credit & Copyright: Saeid Parchini
Explanation:
What divides the north from the south?
It all has to do with the spin of
the Earth.
On Earth's surface,
the equator is the dividing line, but on Earth's sky, the dividing line is the
Celestial Equator -- the equator's projection onto the sky.á
You likely can't see the
Earth's equator around you, but anyone with a
clear night sky can find the
Celestial Equator by watching stars move.á
Just locate the dividing line between
stars that arc
north and stars that arc south.
Were you on Earth's equator, the Celestial Equator would go straight up and down.á
In general, the angle between the Celestial Equator and the vertical is your
latitude.á
The featured image combines 325 photos taken every 30 seconds over 162 minutes.
Taken soon after sunset earlier this month,
moonlight
illuminates a snowy and desolate scene in northwest
Iran.
The bright streak behind the
lone tree is the planet
Venus setting.
Almost Hyperspace:
Random APOD Generator
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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: star trail
Publications with words: star trail
See also: