Milky Way over Yellowstone: A Captured Moment
NASA
- The featured image displays a 16-frame panorama capturing Silex Spring in Yellowstone National Park alongside the Milky Way.
- Silex Spring is a 10-meter-wide hot spring colored by layers of heat-loving bacteria and illuminated artificially.
- The steam rising from the pool is heated by the Yellowstone Hotspot, a geothermal feature capable of supervolcanic activity.
The Celestial and Geothermal Context
- Milky Way: The distant band of light visible overhead consists of billions of stars within our own galaxy, appearing high above the earthly landscape.
- Yellowstone Hotspot: The geothermal activity powering the park's springs is driven by underground magma. This same hotspot was responsible for a major supervolcanic eruption approximately 640,000 years ago.
- Geological Risk: Experts note that a future supervolcanic eruption from the Yellowstone Hotspot would have significant impacts across a large portion of the North American continent.
Image Details
- Capture Date: The panorama was taken in 2014 by photographer Dave Lane.
- Visual Components: The composition blends the foreground of the colorful, steam-emitting hot spring with the vast, starry expanse of the night sky.