NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 8 March 2023: LIGHT pollution | Tech News

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 8 March 2023: LIGHT pollution

NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day is an image highlighting the problem of Light pollution at night around the world. Yes, there is such a thing as light pollution.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Mar 08 2023, 12:02 IST
Top NASA Astronomy Pictures of the Week: Crescent Moon, Flaming Nebula, Venus to Jupiter
Light pollution
1/5 Venus-Jupiter Conjunction (Feb 27) - features the view of Venus and Jupiter, but with an unusual ray of light extending from the horizon. It is known as Zodiacal light, a band of dust reflecting sunlight from the inner Solar System which becomes noticeable during certain periods when observed after sunset or before sunrise. (NASA/Ruslan Merzlyakov)
Light pollution
2/5 Crescent Moon and the Temple of Poseidon (Feb 28) - It is a stunning snapshot of the thin crescent Moon with the ancient Greek Temple of Poseidon at the forefront in Greece. According to NASA, the moonlight we see on Earth is sunlight reflected off the Moon's grayish-white surface. (NASA/Elias Chasiotis)
Light pollution
3/5 Flaming Nebula, Tadpole Nebula and Comet ZTF (March 1) - Flaming Star Nebula and the Tadpole Nebula can be seen crossing paths with the Comet ZTF. IC405, otherwise known as the Flaming Star Nebula, lies about 1,500 light-years away toward the constellation of Auriga and spans about 5 light-years across.  (NASA/Thomas Roell)
Light pollution
4/5 Spiral Galaxies NGC 3169 and NGC 3166 (March 2) - It is a stellar snapshot of Spiral Galaxy NGC 3169 and its neighbour NGC 3166. NGC 3169 is located almost 70 million light-years away in the constellation of Sextans (the Sextant). According to NASA, it is part of the Leo I Group of galaxies which is part of a larger galactic congregation known as the Virgo Supercluster.  (NASA/Mike Selby/Mark Hanson)
Light pollution
5/5 Supernova Remnant RCW 86 (March 3) - After the supernova explosion, its remnants are left behind, which are known as Supernova Remnants (SNR). NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day is an extremely rare and historical snapshot of Supernova Remnant RCW 86 which spans around 100 light-years and is located nearly 8000 light-years away.  (NASA/CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA)
Light pollution
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Light Pollution makes it difficult for astronomers to observe celestial objects. (NASA/JPSS Satellites/David J. Lorenz)

Trillions of stars illuminate our Universe. According to NASA, they are the most widely recognized astronomical objects. Although stars are easily visible in the night sky even with the naked eye, it is becoming increasingly difficult to observe the celestial objects in the night sky due to one phenomenon caused by human activity – Light Pollution. In recent times, the impact of human-created light pollution has far exceeded the luminescence produced even by a full Moon. The consequences of this pollution are now evident to a vast number of individuals beyond astronomical society.

NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a picture showing the artificial brightness present in the night sky, which makes observing celestial objects such as stars, planets and others, increasingly difficult. Parts of the US and Western Europe have artificial night sky glow which is nearly 10 times the natural light in the night sky. In the areas marked red or orange, the central band of the Milky Way Galaxy can no longer be seen.

The picture was generated using data collected by JPSS Satellites and processed by David J. Lorenz.

NASA's description of the picture

Where have all the dim stars gone? From many places on the Earth including major cities, the night sky has been reduced from a fascinating display of thousands of stars to a diffuse glow through which only a few stars are visible. The featured map indicates the relative amount of light pollution that occurs across the Earth. The cause of the pollution is artificial light reflecting off molecules and aerosols in the atmosphere.

Parts of the Eastern United States and Western Europe colored red, for example, have an artificial night sky glow over ten times that of the natural sky. In any area marked orange or red, the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy is no longer visible. The International Dark Sky Association suggests common types of fixtures that provide relatively little amounts of light pollution.

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First Published Date: 08 Mar, 12:01 IST
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