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.

                               2026 January 27
      [2]A person stands in the distance on a snowy landscape shining a
    flashlight on the ground. Trees and snow capped mountains are on the
      horizon. In the starry sky above, several iconic red nebulas are
     visible. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                   Orion's Treasures over Snowy Mountains
   Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Włodzimierz Bubak; Text: [4]Ogetay Kayali
                                  ([5]MTU)

   Explanation: Rising over a frozen valley in the [6]Tatra Mountains, the
   familiar stars and nebulas of [7]Orion dominate this wide-field
   nightscape. The [8]featured deep photo was [9]taken in southern
   [10]Poland's highest mountain range last month, where [11]dark skies
   and alpine terrain combined to reveal both Earth's [12]rugged beauty
   and the structure of [13]our galaxy. Above the snowy mountains,
   [14]Orion's bright belt stars anchor a region of glowing interstellar
   clouds. The Great [15]Orion Nebula, a vast [16]stellar nursery visible
   even to the unaided eye, shines near the center of the scene.
   Surrounding it is the enormous arc of [17]Barnard's Loop, a faint shell
   of [18]ionized hydrogen gas spanning much of the [19]constellation. To
   the left, the round [20]Rosette Nebula glows softly, while the grayish
   [21]Witch Head Nebula hovers to the right, illuminated by nearby
   starlight. Near the top, the orange supergiant [22]Betelgeuse marks the
   hunter's shoulder.

                    Tomorrow's picture: reflecting Orion
     __________________________________________________________________

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     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [34]Robert Nemiroff ([35]MTU) & [36]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([37]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [38]Specific rights apply.
            [39]NASA Web Privacy, [40]Accessibility, [41]Notices;
                A service of: [42]ASD at [43]NASA / [44]GSFC,
                         [45]NASA Science Activation
                           & [46]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2601/OrionTatras_Bubak_2048.jpg
   3. https://www.instagram.com/trzeci_plan/
   4. https://www.ogetay.com/
   5. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/
   6. https://youtu.be/Dg-8W57X7lY
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240131.html
   8. https://www.instagram.com/p/DSK39XzDHJ1/
   9. https://www.instagram.com/p/DS-TeeIDHcV/
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200408.html
  12. https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https://preview.redd.it/yall-told-me-shed-have-a-big-tail-one-day-and-shes-delivered-v0-9c7qdzwulqsf1.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=34b8d47083ac6c8751b7476aee96e6f4ac84fdb2
  13. https://science.nasa.gov/resource/the-milky-way-galaxy/
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240116.html
  15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Nebula
  16. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stars/
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap050420.html
  18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionization
  19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_(constellation)
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170214.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220124.html
  22. https://www.aavso.org/vsots_alphaori
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260126.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  29. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  32. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260127
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260128.html
  34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  36. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  37. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  38. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  42. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  43. https://www.nasa.gov/
  44. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  45. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  46. http://www.mtu.edu/