比利牛斯山脉上空的星轨与闪电

2022年9月19日

Star Trails and Lightning over the Pyrenees
Image Credit & Copyright: Marc Sellés Llimós

Explanation: The beauty in this image comes in layers. On the bottom layer is the picturesque village of Manlleu in Barcelona, Spain. The six-minute exposure makes car lights into streaks. The next layer is a mountain — Serra de Bellmunt — of Europe’s famous Pyrenees. Next up is a tremendous lightning storm emanating from a classically-shaped anvil cloud. The long exposure allowed for the capture of many intricate lightning bolts. Finally, at the top and furthest in the distance are stars. Here, the multi-minute exposure made stars into trails. The trailing effect is caused by the rotation of the Earth, and the curvature of the trails indicates their distance from the north spin pole of the Earth above. Taken after sunset in early June, the lightning storm soon moved off. The stars, though, will continue to circle the poll for as long as the Earth spins — surely billions of years into the future.

Tomorrow’s picture: stellar nebula without stars

比利牛斯山脉上空的星轨与闪电
影像提供与版权: Marc Sellés Llimós

说明: 这幅影像里的美是有层次的。最下层为西班牙巴塞罗纳风景如画的绵罗村。摄影所选用的6分钟长曝光，让影像里的车灯拖曳成条。上一层是欧洲著名比利牛斯山脉的Serra de Bellmunt峰。其上方笼罩着与经典铁砧云相伴而来的庞大雷暴系统。长曝光摄影更捕捉到其内数道形状错综复杂的闪电。影像顶部的最上层则是远处的恒星。在影像里，长达数分钟的长曝光让恒星曳出星轨。这种曳轨效应源自地球的自转，而星轨的曲率显示它们与上方地球北天极的距离。在6月初的日落时分拍下这幅影像之后，雷暴系统不久即行远离。不过在未来的数十亿年之间，只要地球不停自转，恒星就会持续绕天极转圈。

明日的图片: stellar nebula without stars