Milky Way Over San Pedro de Atacama
The summer night sky can be a wonderland for amateur astronomers and seasoned astrophotographers, offering views of planets aplenty. In this gallery, you'll see some of the most amazing night sky views sent in to Space.com in September 2014 by stargazers.
Here: Astrophotographer William Praniski captured this photo of two observers and the majestic Milky Way overhead from the Chilean town of San Pedro de Atacama, taken July 27, 2014.
Milky Way Panorama at Joshua Tree National Park
Astrophotographer Sal Cavazos sent in an 11-image panorama of the Milky Way taken on Aug. 31, 2014, during the first quarter moon at Joshua Tree National Park, CA.
NGC 246 Planetary Nebula
NGC-246, nicknamed the Skull Nebula, is a planetary nebula in the constellation Cetus. The nebula is a sun-like star that has blown off its outer atmosphere, discovered by William Herschel in 1785. Astrophotographer John Chumack obtained the image from his observatories in Yellow Springs, Ohio on August 28, 2014.
Moon, Saturn, Mars and Cactus
Astrophotographer BG Boyd sent in a photo of the moon, Saturn and Mars conjunction, taken from Douglas Springs Trailhead at Saguaro National Park in Tucson, AZ. The planets are the bright objects just below the moon. The orange glow to the right of the conjunction comes from Tucson light pollution.
Sprites, Gravity Waves and Airglow
Astrophotographer Randy Halverson sent in a frame from a timelapse video taken of a storm in central South Dakota. The image shows sprites as the red flashes above the storm at right. Sprites consiste of large scale electrical discharges that occur high above clouds. Also the green airglow shows gravity waves as faint ripples. Halverson thanks Tom Warner and Dr. Walter Lyons for helping identify gravity waves. Video shot Aug. 20, 2014.
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