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Milky Way over Northern Skies Observatory

The Milky Way blankets the Northern Skies Observatory, located in the town of Peacham, Vermont. The bright object to the left of the Milky Way core is Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. To the left of Jupiter, near the tree, is the planet Saturn. The Andromeda galaxy appears just above the observatory dome. The bands of green airglow seen in the lower atmosphere are caused by electrically-charged Oxygen and Nitrogen ions recombining with electrons, giving off light in the process.

 

The Northern Skies Observatory is operated by the Northeast Kingdom Astronomy Foundation (NKAF). It is one of about twenty observatories on the Skynet Robotic Telescope Network, whose major purpose is to record, image, and study gamma-ray bursts. The non-profit foundation is also heavily involved in local high school astronomy classes, as well as the Governor's Institutes of Vermont.

 

The photo is a panorama of 8 vertical images that were merged in Lightroom. Zoom in for best viewing.

 

For a closer look at the observatory, with more detailed info, see

www.flickr.com/photos/davetrono/42239486970

 

NKAF website: www.nkaf.org

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Uploaded on May 28, 2018
Taken on May 24, 2020