Himalayan Skyscape

[Esav Benyamin]

Himalayan skyscape, courtesy of Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Capella, alpha star of the constellation Auriga, rises over Mt. Everest in this panoramic view of the top of the world at night. The scene was recorded in late November near Namche Bazar, Nepal, gateway to the Himalayan mountain range. Moonlight illuminates the famous peaks of Everest (8840 meters) and Lhotse (8516 meters) at the far left, and a stupa (a Buddhist religious monument) in the foreground, along the main trail to the Everest Base Camp. The light in the valley is from the Tengboche Monastery, also along the trail at about 4000 meters. From left to right above the moonlit peaks, the stars of Auriga give way to bright giant star Aldebaran eye of the Taurus the Bull, the Pleiades star cluster, alpha Ceti, and finally alpha Phoenicis of the Phoenix. Peaks and stars can be identified by placing your cursor over the image.

Astronomy Picture of the Day is a pictorial introduction to astronomical photographs, information, and history. The archives link at the bottom of the page accesses the entire output of the site since it began on June 16 1995.

 

[Nicholas]

No light pollution from the city: they're lucky to have such a view!

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Cold, thin, unpolluted air also helps.

 

[Roger Smith]

Awesome.

 

[b.c.molin]

Thank you Esav for sharing this evocative image ...I feel and wish I could step into the photo and head off towards the Tengboche Monastery, maybe hearing a distant emanation of "Om Mane Padme Hum" ...

 

[Esav Benyamin]

And down the loaded air there comes
The thunder of Thibetan drums,
And droned—‘Om mane padme hum’s’
A world’s-width from Kamakura.

The Buddha at Kamakura
by Rudyard Kipling

 

[b.c.molin]

The Buddha at Kamakura
by Rudyard Kipling

Thank you Esav for sharing the poem; it is the first time I have read it!

"Namu Amida Butsu"

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Another panoramic view: The View from Everest

What would it be like to stand atop the tallest mountain on Earth? To see a full panoramic vista from there, scroll right. Visible are snow peaked mountains near and far, tremendous cliffs, distant plateaus, the tops of clouds, and a dark blue sky. Mt. Everest stands 8.85 kilometers above sea level, roughly the maximum height reached by international airplane flights, but much less than the 300 kilometers achieved by a space shuttle. Hundreds of people have tried and failed to climb the behemoth by foot, a feat first accomplished successfully in 1953. About 1000 people have now made it to the summit. Roddy Mackenzie, who climbed the mountain in 1989, captured the above image. Mt. Everest lies in the Himalaya mountains in the country of Nepal. In the native language of Nepal, the mountain's name is "Sagarmatha" which means "forehead of the sky."

 

[paua]

Thanks for the sharing.