Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2026 August 16 [2]A landscape image shows a starfield above a lake. Part of the lake is evaporating into the sky on the right. The arch of the Milky Way Galaxy curves overhead. It may look like the evaporation is creating the Milky Way. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Milky Way over Yellowstone Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Dave Lane Explanation: The Milky Way was not created by an evaporating lake. The colorful pool of water, about 10 meters across, is known as [4]Silex Spring and is located in [5]Yellowstone National Park in [6]Wyoming, [7]USA. Illuminated artificially, the colors are caused by layers of [8]bacteria that grow in the [9]hot spring. Steam rises off [10]the spring, heated by underground [11]magma associated with the [12]Yellowstone Hotspot. Unrelated and far in the distance, the [13]central band of our [14]Milky Way Galaxy arches high overhead, a band lit by billions of stars. The picture features a 16-image panorama taken in 2014. If the [15]Yellowstone Hotspot causes [16]another supervolcanic eruption as it did about [17]640,000 years ago, a [18]large part of North America would be affected. Tomorrow's picture: eclipse gold __________________________________________________________________ [19]< | [20]Archive | [21]Submissions | [22]Index | [23]Search | [24]Calendar | [25]RSS | [26]Education | [27]About APOD | [28]Discuss | [29]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [30]Robert Nemiroff ([31]MTU) & [32]Jerry Bonnell ([33]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [34]Specific rights apply. [35]NASA Web Privacy, [36]Accessibility, [37]Notices; A service of: [38]ASD at [39]NASA / [40]GSFC, [41]NASA Science Activation & [42]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2608/mwyellowstone_lane_1800.jpg 3. https://www.davelaneastrophotography.com/about/ 4. https://www.nps.gov/features/yell/tours/fountainpaint/silexspring.htm 5. http://www.yellowstone.co/pdfs/ytsummer2011.pdf 6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyoming 7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_territories_of_the_United_States 8. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/extremophile.html 9. https://goo.gl/maps/ZcydY 10. https://youtu.be/9jQNg_q-KzY 11. https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/the-magma-ocean-and-us/ 12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_hotspot 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110710.html 14. https://science.nasa.gov/resource/the-milky-way-galaxy/ 15. https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/just-how-long-has-yellowstone-hotspot-been-around 16. https://imgur.com/EzwC34o 17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava_Creek_Tuff 18. https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-would-happen-if-a-supervolcano-eruption-occurred-again-yellowstone 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260815.html 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 23. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 25. https://apod.com/feed.rss 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 28. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260816 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260817.html 30. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/department/faculty/nemiroff/ 31. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/ 32. https://inspirehep.net/authors/1073087 33. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 35. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 36. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 37. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 38. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/astrophysics/ 39. https://www.nasa.gov/ 40. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 41. https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/ 42. http://www.mtu.edu/