At new moon the Milky Way rises above Shell Geyser in the Biscuit Basin of Yellowstone. The geyser expels boiling water and hot gases into the cold air. The steam cloud joins the Milky Way as if the geyser is exhaling into space.
The geyser erupts in five minute intervals driven by the Yellowstone magma chamber at shallow depth. Exhaled gases of water vapor, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide from volcanic activity ever since contribute important constituents as trace gases to Earths atmosphere. The hot steam in the cold air causes instantaneous condensation that perspectively extends above the sloped terrain into the eastern branch of the Milky Way.
The brightest object to the left is Jupiter. To the right of the Milky Way the Scorpio constellation is visible with its red star Antares, being 700 times larger than our sun at a distance of only 520 light years.
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The geysers of Yellowstone under the starry nightsky
Exhale into Space
August 2008
Canon 20D, Canon EF-S 10-22 mm, f/3.5, static and dynamic exposure of 6 min with 10 sec foreground neutral flash fire, ISO 800, tripod, AstroTrac TT320 digital astronomical mount
- Coming to Life
- Aftermath of Creation
- Quicksilver
- Spinning through Bright Lights
- Cut into Time