Milky-Way and Airglow Over the Darkest Place in Israel (Omer Baram)

Milky-Way and Airglow Over the Darkest Place in Israel

Standing under the vast, dark sky of the Negev Desert offers a breathtaking glimpse into the heart of our galaxy. Far from the light pollution of urban areas, the Milky Way sprawls across the heavens like a luminous river, its countless stars painting a tapestry of light against the deep, velvety blackness. The desert's stark beauty serves as a perfect backdrop, emphasizing the ethereal glow of the Milky Way as it arcs overhead. Here, amidst the silent dunes and ancient rocks, one can truly appreciate the scale and majesty of the universe, a reminder of our small place within it.. It occurs when atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere, typically between 80 and 100 kilometers (50-62 miles) above the Earth's surface, become excited by sunlight during the day and then release that energy at night in the form of light. This process is similar to what happens in a fluorescent light bulb.The airglow is mostly composed of a soft, greenish light, but it can also emit red, blue, and purple hues depending on the altitude and the specific atoms or molecules involved. It is a relatively faint phenomenon compared to the light from stars and planets, so it is often difficult to observe in areas with significant light pollution. However, in dark, clear skies, especially at high altitudes and away from city lights, airglow can be visible as a subtle, diffuse glow that adds to the beauty of the night sky.

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.

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