Photo of the Day

This breathtaking mosaic of the Milky Way was imaged in the Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve of Portugal, just before dawn in early April of 2013. Though the waning crescent Moon shines brightly (lower center), it’s not so bright as to interfere with the glow of the Milky Way, shown here arching over the Convent of Orada (constructed in 1670).

Click on image to better see the annotated constellations. At far left is Ursa Minor (Little Bear) and Polaris, the star nearly directly above the Earth’s North Celestial Pole. At far right are Scorpius (Scorpion) and the brilliant, red supergiantAntares. Cygnus (the Swan) is at top left center, and just below the bright white star, Deneb, the North American Nebula (NGC7000) can be found.

Photographer: Miguel Claro; Miguel’s Web site