North Celestial Tree
Explanation:
An ancient tree seems to reach out and touch Earth's
North Celestial Pole
in this well-planned night skyscape.
Consecutive exposures for the timelapse composition
were recorded with a camera fixed to a tripod
in the Yiwu Desert Poplar Forests
in northwest Xinjiang, China.
The graceful star trail arcs
reflect Earth's daily rotation around its axis.
By extension, the axis of rotation
leads to the center of the concentric arcs
in the night sky.
Known as the North Star,
bright star Polaris
is a friend to northern hemisphere
night sky photographers and celestial navigators
alike.
That's because Polaris lies very close to the North Celestial Pole on the sky.
Of
course it can be found
at the tip of an outstretched barren branch in a postcard from
a rotating planet.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
