APOD: Skylights Over Libya (2010 Dec 28)

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APOD Robot
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APOD: Skylights Over Libya (2010 Dec 28)

Post by APOD Robot » Tue Dec 28, 2010 5:06 am

Image Skylights Over Libya

Explanation: Sometimes the sky itself seems to glow. Usually, this means you are seeing a cloud reflecting sunlight or moonlight. If the glow appears as a faint band of light running across the whole sky, you are probably seeing the combined light from the billions of stars that compose our Milky Way Galaxy. Such a glow is visible rising diagonally up to the right in the above image. If the glow is seen coming up from the horizon just before sunrise or just after sunset, however, you might be seeing something called zodiacal light. Pictured rising diagonally up to the left in the above image, zodiacal light is just sunlight reflected by tiny dust particles orbiting in our Solar System. Many of these particles were ejected by comets. The above image was taken just after sunset earlier this month from Ras Lanuf, Libya.

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alter-ego
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Re: APOD: Skylights Over Libya (2010 Dec 28)

Post by alter-ego » Tue Dec 28, 2010 7:50 am

Not listed but worth mentioning is the "bright" 2-day old moon located just above setting Mercury.
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orin stepanek
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Re: APOD: Skylights Over Libya (2010 Dec 28)

Post by orin stepanek » Tue Dec 28, 2010 1:19 pm

Makes for neat pictures! :wink:
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BMAONE23
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Re: APOD: Skylights Over Libya (2010 Dec 28)

Post by BMAONE23 » Tue Dec 28, 2010 3:00 pm

Looks like the sun is already aligning pretty good with old Sagi.

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