Larger than Life
We are so accustomed to skies full of light pollution that this photograph of the Milky Way appears almost unreal in its vividness. It was taken at the site of the KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope of the Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. The locations for advanced telescopes are chosen based on several key criteria: the lack of artificial light sources nearby, an arid environment, and clear skies. Not only do these conditions facilitate science-quality telescopic observations, but they make for extraordinary astrophotography.
Credit:KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R.T. Sparks
About the Image
Id: | iotw2022a |
Type: | Photographic |
Release date: | May 27, 2020, 5:53 a.m. |
Size: | 5179 x 3473 px |
About the Object
Category: | Kitt Peak National Observatory |
Image Formats
Large JPEG
4.9 MB
Publication TIFF 4K
18.7 MB
Publication JPEG
2.9 MB
Screensize JPEG
247.1 KB