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Summer Triangle

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Date:18.5.99 Time:0:43 UT Exposure:16 min
Field of View:51o x 58o Emulsion:Kodak Royal 400 Select Filter:none
Instrument:f=24mm 1/4.0 Place:Gillersheim, Lower Saxonia Observer:T. Credner
Notes to the data

The northern summer night sky is dominated by the "Summer Triangle" consisting of the three brightest stars Deneb, Vega, and Altair in the corresponding constellations of Cygnus (the Swan), Lyra (the Lyre), and Aquila (the Eagle) (see labels).

The Milky Way has its brightest parts of the northern hemisphere in this field of the sky. A number of uncountable stars of our own galaxy builds up this fuzzy appearance to the naked eye. If you watch carefully you will recognize structures and dark bands in the Milky Way. From Cygnus southwards lies the so called "Great Rift", a dark band of interstellar dust that is absorbing light of the stars behind. And on a long exposed photography, like the above wide angle image, you can see much fainter objects. For example red emission nebulae of ionized hydrogen like the so called North America Nebula (upper left) or a couple of small star clusters (see also the Cygnus and Lyra page).

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