Orion seen from Bortle 9 during the blackout (Makrem Larnaout)

Celestial hemisphere: Southern · Constellation: Orion (Ori) · Contains: 10 CMi) · 112 Tau) · 19 Ori) · 24 Gem) · 24 Ori) · 46 Ori) · 50 Ori) · 58 Ori) · 87 Tau) · 9 CMa) · Al Mankib · Algebar (β Ori · Almeisan (γ Gem · Antecanis (α CMi · Aschere (α CMa · Betelgeux (α Ori · Canicula · Cor Tauri · El Nath (β Tau · Elgomaisa · Flame Nebula · Great Orion Nebula · IC 434 · M 42 · NGC 1909 · NGC 1976 · NGC 2237 · NGC 2238 · Orion B · Orion Nebula · And 23 more.

Orion seen from Bortle 9 during the blackout, Makrem Larnaout

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Orion seen from Bortle 9 during the blackout

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Orion seen from Bortle 9 during the blackout

A Unique Moment in the Heart of Tunis

I wish to share an extraordinary experience with you. On August 20, 2023, at 1 a.m., Tunisia was enveloped in complete darkness due to an unusual blackout. However, amidst this profound darkness, something exceptional unfolded.From the Lafayette rooftop, nestled in the heart of downtown Tunis, I had the privilege of capturing a rare image of the Orion constellation.

This marked a historic first for Tunisia, and I am deeply honored to present it to you.For a mere 5 minutes, the heavens cleared, offering a pristine view despite the heavy humidity and a gentle haze. Surprisingly, the backup power generators of hotels, clinics, banks, and various other establishments allowed us to witness a celestial display reminiscent of the desert's clarity.

This transcendent moment serves as a poignant reminder that even in the darkest of hours, the beauty of the universe can pierce through the shroud of clouds.
It imparts a lesson in humility and a profound connection to the natural world that surrounds us.I am truly delighted to share this photograph with you all, and I sincerely hope it captivates your imagination as profoundly as it did mine.

Please note: The following tables are updated every 24 hours.

Distribution of astrophotographers

This table shows the number of distinct astrophotographers who have been assigned and IOTD/TP award compared to the total number of images awarded.
	Distinct awarded users	Total awarded images
Image of the day
Top picks
Top pick nominations

Distribution of subject types

This table shows the distribution of awards per subject type, compared to the popularity of images of that subject type.
	Image of the day	Top pick	Top pick nominations	Total submitted
Deep sky
Solar system
Extremely wide field
Star trails
Northern lights
Noctilucent clouds
Landscape

Distribution of data sources

This table shows the distribution of awards per data source, compared to the popularity of images acquired from that data source.
	Image of the day	Top pick	Top pick nominations	Total submitted
Backyard
Traveller
Own remote observatory
Amateur hosting facility
Public amaeteur data
Professional, scientific grade data
Mix of multiple sources
Other
Unknown

The “AstroBin Image of the Day and Top Picks”, or IOTD/TP, is a long-running system to promote beautiful, interesting, peculiar, or otherwise amazing astrophotographs, with a focus on technical excellence. Learn more.

Submitted The date and time when you submitted this image for IOTD/TP consideration.	...
Views by Submitters (available since September 19th, 2023) Every image is assigned to 50% of available Submitters. In the event that at least 80% of them don't view the image before its time in the IOTD/TP process expires, it's assigned to the other 50% of Submitters and the process begins anew.
Promotions by Submitters When 3 distinct Submitters promote the image, it moves on to the next stage of the process: evaluation for Top Pick status. This requirement, in addition to anonymization of images and distribution to only a subset of them, prevents biases and ensures that the best images are selected.
Promotions by Reviewers When 3 distinct Reviewers promote the image, it moves on to the next stage of the process: evaluation for IOTD status.
Early dismissal Staff members have a lot of images to inspect on a daily basis, and they can dismiss images if they believe they don't meet the requirements for IOTD/TP selection. If an image is dismissed 5 times, it's removed from the process. This streamlines the process and ensures that any bias present in promotions could be overruled by other staff members.

Status	Basic success
Started	...
Astrometry.net job	8484771
PixInsight job	n/a
PixInsight queue size	n/a
PixInsight stage	n/a

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Orion seen from Bortle 9 during the blackout

Orion seen from Bortle 9 during the blackout

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Orion seen from Bortle 9 during the blackout

Orion seen from Bortle 9 during the blackout

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