Discover the cosmosEach day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Explanation:This stairway in Chile brings you only a little bit closer to heaven.
But ooh, the sky above itmakes you wonder.
For example, you may wonder about the dark lane of our own Milky Way galaxyrising behind the expansive Atacama DesertinChile, the band ofzodiacal lighton the upper left, the green and redairglowjust above the horizon, the star Spicain the zodiacal light stripe, and, at the very top on the right, the Small Magellanic Cloudgalaxy.
The Desert Staircase sculpture is in the foreground, and this image was timed to catch the picturesque peering perch just in front of the near-vertical Milky Way band.
Uponclose inspectionof the horizon you can find, left to right, some AndesMountains, the Licancabur volcano, and the town lights ofSan Pedro de Atacama.
Thefeatured wide-angle compositewas captured in July 2025.
Tomorrowโs picture:open space