{"id":52595,"date":"2026-04-21T05:22:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T05:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/52595\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T05:22:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T05:22:09","slug":"apod-2026-april-21-three-sky-arches-over-snowy-alps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/52595\/","title":{"rendered":"APOD: 2026 April 21 \u2013 Three Sky Arches over Snowy Alps"},"content":{"rendered":"

APOD: 2026 April 21 \u2013 Three Sky Arches over Snowy Alps <\/p>\n

Discover the cosmos!<\/a>
\nEach day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.\n<\/p>\n

2026 April 21
\n

\n\"A<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

Three Sky Arches over Snowy Alps
Image Credit & Copyright:
\nAngel Fux<\/a><\/p>\n

Explanation:
\nWhy are there three arches across the sky instead of two?<\/p>\n

Last month, after being
\ndropped off by a helicopter<\/a> at a
\nhigh mountain peak<\/a> in the
\nAlps<\/a> near the
\nSwiss<\/a>
\nItalian<\/a> border,
\nan adventurous astrophotographer expected two arches of
\nour Milky Way galaxy<\/a> to be
\nvisible<\/a> during the night.<\/p>\n

These were the inner arch looking in
\ntoward the center<\/a> of our galaxy on the left,
\nvisible just before sunrise, and the
\nouter arch<\/a> on the
\nright visible just after sunset. <\/p>\n

But there were three arches.<\/p>\n

The surprised<\/a>
\nastrophotographer<\/a> soon realized that the sky was
\nso dark<\/a> that an
\nentire arc<\/a> of faint
\nzodiacal light<\/a> was also noticeable —
\nsunlight scattered by inner
\nSolar System dust<\/a>. <\/p>\n

And it artfully connected the two Milky Way arches! <\/p>\n

The next morning a helicopter picked the astrophotographer back up,
\nand after 40 hours of processing and combining that night’s images, the
\nfeatured triple-arch 360-degree panorama<\/a> resulted. <\/p>\n

Jigsaw Vistas:
\nAstronomy Puzzle of the Day<\/a>
Tomorrow’s picture: open space<\/a> <\/p>\n

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\n Authors & editors:
\nRobert Nemiroff<\/a>
\n(MTU<\/a>) &
\nJerry Bonnell<\/a> (UMCP<\/a>)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn
\nSpecific rights apply<\/a>.
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A service of:
\nASD<\/a> at
\nNASA<\/a> \/
\nGSFC<\/a>,
\n
NASA Science Activation<\/a>
\n
& Michigan Tech. U.<\/a><\/p>\n