Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2022 July 28
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                            North Celestial Tree
             Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Jeff Dai ([5]TWAN)

   Explanation: An ancient tree seems to reach out and touch Earth's
   [6]North Celestial Pole in this well-planned night skyscape.
   Consecutive exposures for the timelapse composition were recorded with
   a camera fixed to a tripod [7]in the Yiwu Desert Poplar Forests in
   northwest Xinjiang, China. The graceful star trail arcs reflect Earth's
   daily rotation around its axis. By extension, the axis of rotation
   leads to the center of the concentric arcs [8]in the night sky. Known
   as the North Star, [9]bright star Polaris is a friend to northern
   hemisphere night sky photographers and celestial navigators alike.
   That's because Polaris lies very close to the North Celestial Pole on
   the sky. [10]Of course it can be found at the tip of an outstretched
   barren branch in a postcard from a rotating planet.

                    Tomorrow's picture: aurora australis
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    Authors & editors: [22]Robert Nemiroff ([23]MTU) & [24]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([25]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [26]Specific rights apply.
              [27]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [28]ASD at [29]NASA / [30]GSFC,
                         [31]NASA Science Activation
                           & [32]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2207/AncientTreeNCP_Dai.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. http://www.twanight.org/Dai
   5. http://www.twanight.org/
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120712.html
   7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJOztGLSWcU
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130920.html
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110514.html
  10. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/1944/what-is-the-north-star-and-how-do-you-find-it/
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220727.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  15. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  20. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=220728
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220729.html
  22. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  24. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  25. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  28. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  31. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  32. http://www.mtu.edu/