this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2023
17 points (100.0% liked)

SpacePics

764 readers
1 users here now

A community dedicated to sharing high quality images of space and the cosmos

Rules:

Include some context in the title (such as the name of the astronomical object or location where it was photographed)

Only images, pictures, collages, albums, and gifs are allowed. Please link images from high quality sources ([Imgur](imgur.com), [NASA](https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html), [ESA](https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images), [Flickr](Flickr.com), [500px ](500px.com), etc.) Videos, interactive images/websites, memes, and articles are not allowed

Only submit images related to space. This may include pictures of space, artwork of space, photoshopped images of space, simulations, artist’s depictions, satellite images of Earth, or other related images

Be civil to one another

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

What glows there? The answer depends: sea or sky? In the sea, the unusual blue glow is bioluminescence. Specifically, the glimmer arises from Noctiluca scintillans, single-celled plankton stimulated by the lapping waves. The plankton use their glow to startle and illuminate predators. This mid-February display on an island in the Maldives was so intense that the astrophotographer described it as a turquoise wonderland. In the sky, by contrast, are the more familiar glows of stars and nebulas. The white band rising from the artificially-illuminated green plants is created by billions of stars in the central disk of our Milky Way Galaxy. Also visible in the sky is the star cluster Omega Centauri, toward the left, and the famous Southern Cross asterism in the center. Red-glowing nebulas include the bright Carina Nebula, just right of center, and the expansive Gum Nebula on the upper right.

Source: NASA

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Madbrad200 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I hope I get to go to a dark-sky area someday and see the sky. I know it won't look like this obviously but it'll be a lot cooler than what my light-polluted sky looks like

[–] VenutianxSpring 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah, it'll never be this dramatic, but you'll be astounded by how many stars, and how large they seem, when you get to a dark site. Even getting to a Bortle 5 location like I live in and letting your eyes properly adjust to night vision, the amount of stars is pretty spectacular. Not sure where you live, by check out a site like DarkSkyMap and you may be surprised to find some areas with less light pollution not too far from you.