Description:
Photographing the spectacular Milky Way over the wilderness.
Why does a photograph of the badlands also show such a brilliant night sky? This image is actually a composite of four images taken in June near midnight, looking southwest. In the foreground are the hills of the Badlands, part of Badlands National Park in South Dakota, USA, which appear bright after a long exposure against the background night sky. The mountain-like hills appear to be composed of soft rock that has been eroded by wind and rain over a long period of time, giving them a rugged appearance. Badlands National Park in South Dakota also contains ancient fossil-rich riverbeds. Some fossils are over 25 million years old and contain clues to the evolutionary origins of horses and saber-toothed tigers. Above the Badlands in the image, bright Jupiter dominates the left sky, while the spectacular Milky Way galaxy passes through the right side of the image.
NASA Website:
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html