Milky Way Viewed from Reunion Island
January 27, 2012
Photographer: Luc Perrot
Summary Author: Luc Perrot; Jim Foster
This photo above shows the Milky Way as observed from Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean on the night of November 3, 2011. In the lower part of the picture, between two old tamarind trees, my silhouette is illuminated by a headlamp I'm wearing as I gaze toward the constellation of Scorpio and the galactic center. The stars that comprise Scorpio are wrapped around one of the the densest parts of our galaxy. Note that the brightest star in Scorpio, the red supergiant, Antares, is at upper left -- the tail of the scorpion curls about the tamarind at right. This is how the night sky appears in a truly dark location -- becoming increasingly more difficult to find.
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