It started with a pine tree, and the idea to photograph the pine tree standing like a statue in front of the central belt of the Milky Way galaxy. Two months ago, the plan was successfully realized, and both the Milky Way and the pine tree fit perfectly into the frame. But the three-frame panorama offered much more than that. Colorful stars, for example, shone as tiny dots in the background, with Altair brightly visible in the upper left. Just beyond the Earth's atmosphere, an orbiting satellite documented its passage with a trail left during the 25-second exposure.

It started with a pine tree, and the idea to photograph the pine tree standing like a statue in front of the central belt of the Milky Way galaxy. Two months ago, the plan was successfully realized, and both the Milky Way and the pine tree fit perfectly into the frame. But the three-frame panorama offered much more than that. Colorful stars, for example, shone as tiny dots in the background, with Altair brightly visible in the upper left. Just beyond the Earth's atmosphere, an orbiting satellite documented its passage with a trail left during the 25-second exposure.

September 6, 2021 Astronomy Photo of the Day (NASA APOD)

Image Source and Copyright: Anton Komlev