NEOWISE magique
Image Credit &
Copyright:
Urs Leutenegger
The multi-mirror, 17 meter-diameter
MAGIC telescopes reflect this
starry night sky from the Roque de los Muchachos
European Northern Observatory on the Canary Island of La Palma.
MAGIC stands for Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov and
the telescopes can see the brief
flashes of optical light produced
in particle air showers as high-energy
gamma rays impact the Earth's upper atmosphere.
On July 20, two of the three telescopes in view were looking for
gamma rays from the center
of our Milky Way galaxy.
In reflection they show the bright stars of
Sagittarius and Scorpius near the galactic center to the southeast.
Beyond the segmented-mirror arrays, above the northwest horizon and
below the Big Dipper is Comet NEOWISE.
NEOWISE
stands for
Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer.
That's the Earth-orbiting satellite used to discover the comet designated
C/2020 F3,
but you knew that.