APOD 2.3

Aside from its stunning beauty, I chose this photograph because my most recent posts have been limited to aurorae or galaxies. This photograph features the Cat's Eye Nebula, the remnants of a dying central star similar to our own sun. This photograph was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, featuring a star whose cosmic eye is over half a light year across. Our sun will go through this stupendous phase in approximately 5 billion years.  

APOD 2.2

This photograph features a stunning aurora over the summit of the Austnesfjorden fjord in Northern Norway. This was taken earlier in the year, in early March, on a beautiful clear night. The high amounts of aurorae recently is due to the increased amount of solar surface activity during its 11 year magnetic cycle.

APOD 2.1

This photograph was taken over the Devil's Tower in Northeastern Wyoming. The primary feature of this picture of course is our Milky Way Galaxy. Throughout the galaxy, there are many Nebulae with spooky names, creating a fun Halloween effect on the photo. Many star clusters as well as the dwarf planet Pluto are also seen.