Il Roque Cinchado e la Via Lattea

Milky Way and Stone Tree

Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel López (El Cielo de Canarias)

Explanation: What's that next to the Milky Way? An unusual natural rock formation known as Roque Cinchado or Stone Tree found on the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife. A famous icon, Roque Cinchado is likely a dense plug of cooled volcanic magma that remains after softer surrounding rock eroded away. Majestically, the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy is visible arcing across the right of the above seven image panoramic mosaic taken during the summer of 2010. On the far right is the Teide volcano complete with a lenticular cloud hovering near its peak.

Canarie: la cometa PanStarrs, le nuvole e la falce di Luna

L'Osservatorio di La Plama (Canarie) con la prima apparizione di martedì della cometa PanStarrs accanto alla falce di Luna crescente... Astronomy Picture of the Day.

Clouds, Comet and Crescent Moon

Image Credit & Copyright: Babak Tafreshi (TWAN)

Explanation: In silhouette against the colorful evening twilight glow, clouds part in this much anticipated magic moment. The scene captures naked-eye Comet PanSTARRS peeking into northern hemisphere skies on March 12. The comet stands over the western horizon after sunset, joined by the thin, flattened crescent of a day old Moon. Posing for its own beauty shot, the subtly lit dome of the 4.2 meter William Herschel Telescope is perched above cloud banks on the Canary Island of La Palma. While PanSTARRS has not quite developed into the spectacular comet once hoped for, it is still growing easier to see in the north. In coming days it will steadily climb north, farther from the Sun into darker western evening skies.