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
     __________________________________________________________________

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    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/