Here's our home galaxy, the Milkyway, seen over a forest fire in Sunset Crater National Park. The greenish glow in the lower right-hand corner is from the city lights of flagstaff, Arizona. This view is toward the center of the Milkyway which home to a large black hole. The dark band through its middle is dust that blocks our view of the central parts of our home galaxy. The constellations (or parts of them) that are visible in this photograph are Aquila, Serpens Caput, Scutum, Ophiuchus, Libra, Sagittarius, Scorpius, Lupus, Corona Australis, Ara, and Norma.
Photographer: Rick Scott
Date: June 25, 2005
Camera: Canon EOS 20D digital camera
Lens: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM at 16mm
Exposure: 30 seconds at f/3.2
Camera Mode: ISO 1600 RAW
Software: Adobe Photoshop CS3 for RAW conversion and image processing
Updated: 18 April 2009