No, that"s not a downpour of lightsabers—but it"s no typical night sky either. Stargazing here at Paranal Observatory, on a mountaintop in Chile"s desolate Atacama Desert, you"ll get one of the clearest possible naked-eye views of the southern skies. This "lightsaber" effect comes from the photo"s long exposure: What we"re seeing is these stars" paths as they track across the night sky due to our planet"s rotation. The dazzling colors indicate temperature, from chilly red (5,000-ish degrees Fahrenheit) to balmy blue (temps in the tens of thousands).
Happy Astronomy Day!
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Taking the forest to the cloud
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Strolling across the Red Lagoon
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Blue-throated toucanet, Los Quetzales National Park, Costa Rica
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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American Wetlands Month
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Celebrate Mandela Day
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Bathing huts in Skåne County, Sweden
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Góða ólavsøku, from the Faroes!
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Dragon dance performed in Chenzhou, Hunan Province, China
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Racing toward history
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Falling for Tennessee
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Southern right whale
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Bidding summer adieu
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Explorer of the sea
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Antarctica Day
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A notorious advocate for women
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International Beaver Day
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An ice cap-puccino
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Float on
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An oceanic valentine
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The ruins of a Maya superpower
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A Flag Day tradition
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Sailing on thick ice
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Celebrating World Water Day
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A storied trail marks a century
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Lick Observatory
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A hero for the 21st century
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Ardez, Graubunden, Switzerland
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World Space Week
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Great Backyard Bird Count