Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2024 July 21
   [2]The band of the Milky Way runs across a night sky filled with stars.
     Colorful clouds are on the right horizon. A strange rock structure
   appears in the image center with a base and an extended arm that seems
    to point to the colorful horizon. Please see the explanation for more
                            detailed information.

                  King of Wings Hoodoo under the Milky Way
        Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Wayne Pinkston ([4]LightCrafter
                                Photography)

   Explanation: This rock structure is not only surreal -- it's real.
   Perhaps the reason it's not more famous is that it is smaller than one
   might guess: the capstone rock overhangs only a [5]few meters. Even so,
   the [6]King of Wings outcrop, located in [7]New Mexico, [8]USA, is a
   fascinating example of an unusual type of rock structure called a
   [9]hoodoo. [10]Hoodoos may [11]form when a layer of hard rock overlays
   a layer of [12]eroding softer rock. Figuring out the details of
   incorporating [13]this hoodoo into a night-sky photoshoot took over a
   year. Besides [14]waiting for a suitably picturesque night behind a sky
   with few clouds, the foreground had to be [15]artificially lit just
   right relative to the [16]natural glow of the background. After much
   planning and waiting, the final shot, [17]featured here, was taken in
   May 2016. Mimicking the horizontal bar, the background sky features the
   band of our [18]Milky Way Galaxy stretching overhead.

                     Tomorrow's picture: find the galaxy
     __________________________________________________________________

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     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [30]Robert Nemiroff ([31]MTU) & [32]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([33]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [34]Specific rights apply.
            [35]NASA Web Privacy, [36]Accessibility, [37]Notices;
                A service of: [38]ASD at [39]NASA / [40]GSFC,
                         [41]NASA Science Activation
                           & [42]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2407/KingOfWings_Pinkston_7360.jpg
   3. https://www.instagram.com/wayne_pinkston/
   4. http://waynepinkstonphoto.com/
   5. https://liveloveruntravel.com/king-of-wings-new-mexico/
   6. https://www.summitpost.org/king-of-wings/1010769
   7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico
   8. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-states/
   9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoodoo_(geology)
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200813.html
  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoodoo_(geology)#Formation
  12. http://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/erosion/
  13. https://youtu.be/OcWAkbG_YLo
  14. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/funny-cat-tired-boring-lying-260nw-1447517609.jpg
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230308.html
  16. https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/news-display.cfm?News_ID=745
  17. http://waynepinkstonphoto.com/WhatsNew/i-Trxjrp7/A
  18. https://science.nasa.gov/resource/the-milky-way-galaxy/
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240720.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  23. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  25. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  28. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240721
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240722.html
  30. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  31. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  32. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  33. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  35. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  36. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  38. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  41. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  42. http://www.mtu.edu/