120520 Aquila starscape
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ASTRO:
type=starscape; view=looking north toward the Milky Way const= Aquila + the Northern Cross IMAGE: location=EB Backyard BrtlCls=4 exposure=DSLR OSC: 1x25s (0.4m), f/3.5, ISO3200 EQUIPMENT: camera=Nikon D90 (stk) optics=NIKKOR 18-105mm DX kit zoom @ 18mm filter=(none) mount=simple fixed tripod guiding=(none) SOFTWARE: acquisition=(in-camera) processing=Photoshop (RCAstro), LrC |
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The Milky Way galaxy is home to our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of cloud-like light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked (unaided) eye. It is estimated the Milky Way contains between 100 and 150 billion stars, encompassing almost all of the stars we see in our nighttime skies. This view of the Milky Way looks toward the north-central part of the cloud-like band in summertime. The image 'with constellation lines' (artificially added) brings forward two (2) familiar star patterns (constellations) in this area of our nighttime sky.
Aquila (the Eagle) is a constellation located on the celestial equator. Its name is Latin for 'eagle' and is the representation of the eagle of Zeus, the bird who carried the god's weapons in Greek-Roman mythology. Its brightest star, Altair, is representative of the 'eye of the eagle', and is also a vertex of the asterism known as the 'Summer Triangle'. The constellation is best seen in the northern summer, when it transits just south of the zenith during an evening's views.
The Greek version of Aquila is probably based on the early Babylonian constellation of the Eagle. Aquila was one of the 48 constellations described by the second-century Egyptian-Greek astronomer Ptolemy. It had been earlier mentioned by Eudoxus in the fourth century BC and Aratus in the third century BC. It is now one of the 88 constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union ("IAU"). The constellation was also known as Vultur volans (the flying vulture) to the Romans, not to be confused with Vultur cadens which was their name for Lyra. It is often held to represent the eagle which held Zeus's weapons (thunderbolts) in Greco-Roman mythology. Aquila is also associated with the eagle that became part of the wartime banner of Nazi Germany, and today is represented in the seal of the United States of America.
The Northern Cross is an astronomical asterism as seen from the northern hemisphere, and corresponding closely with the constellation Cygnus the swan. It is much larger than the Southern Cross and consists of the brightest stars in Cygnus: Deneb, Sadr, Gienah, Delta Cygni and Albireo. The 'head' of the cross, Deneb, is also a vertex in the Summer Triangle asterism. Like the Summer Triangle, the Northern Cross is an indicator of the seasons. Near midnight, the Cross lies virtually overhead at mid-northern latitudes during the summer months; it can also be seen during spring in the early morning to the East. In autumn the cross is visible in the evening to the West until November. When viewed from 45° or above in northern latitude, it becomes 'circumpolar', just grazing the northern horizon at its lowest point at such locations as Minneapolis Minnesota USA, Montréal CA and Turin Italy. From the southern hemisphere it appears upside down and low in the northern sky during the winter months.
Aquila (the Eagle) is a constellation located on the celestial equator. Its name is Latin for 'eagle' and is the representation of the eagle of Zeus, the bird who carried the god's weapons in Greek-Roman mythology. Its brightest star, Altair, is representative of the 'eye of the eagle', and is also a vertex of the asterism known as the 'Summer Triangle'. The constellation is best seen in the northern summer, when it transits just south of the zenith during an evening's views.
The Greek version of Aquila is probably based on the early Babylonian constellation of the Eagle. Aquila was one of the 48 constellations described by the second-century Egyptian-Greek astronomer Ptolemy. It had been earlier mentioned by Eudoxus in the fourth century BC and Aratus in the third century BC. It is now one of the 88 constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union ("IAU"). The constellation was also known as Vultur volans (the flying vulture) to the Romans, not to be confused with Vultur cadens which was their name for Lyra. It is often held to represent the eagle which held Zeus's weapons (thunderbolts) in Greco-Roman mythology. Aquila is also associated with the eagle that became part of the wartime banner of Nazi Germany, and today is represented in the seal of the United States of America.
The Northern Cross is an astronomical asterism as seen from the northern hemisphere, and corresponding closely with the constellation Cygnus the swan. It is much larger than the Southern Cross and consists of the brightest stars in Cygnus: Deneb, Sadr, Gienah, Delta Cygni and Albireo. The 'head' of the cross, Deneb, is also a vertex in the Summer Triangle asterism. Like the Summer Triangle, the Northern Cross is an indicator of the seasons. Near midnight, the Cross lies virtually overhead at mid-northern latitudes during the summer months; it can also be seen during spring in the early morning to the East. In autumn the cross is visible in the evening to the West until November. When viewed from 45° or above in northern latitude, it becomes 'circumpolar', just grazing the northern horizon at its lowest point at such locations as Minneapolis Minnesota USA, Montréal CA and Turin Italy. From the southern hemisphere it appears upside down and low in the northern sky during the winter months.