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This page describes an image Milky Way Over Quiver Tree

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Image caption: This breathtaking photograph was captured on 17 June 2023, near Keetmanshoop, Namibia, with a smartphone. Dominating the night sky, the majestic arc of the Milky Way creates a celestial bridge across the heavens. The image captures a range of notable astronomical objects: the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, seen towards the bottom of the image and appearing as fuzzy clouds; Antares, seen towards the top left of the image; and the coalsack nebula (referred to by various names by Indigenous cultures around the world), seen vertically above the Large Magellanic Cloud. Silhouetted against this astral backdrop, the trees — which are actually succulent aloe plants native to southern Africa — add a touch of Earth's unique beauty. Historically, these plants were known as ‘quiver trees’ because groups of local Indigenous people would use their hollowed branches to hold darts. The serene Namibian landscape, combined with the brilliance of the southern hemisphere's stars, offers a glimpse into the majesty of our Universe.
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Image credit: Jianfeng Dai/IAU OAE (CC BY 4.0)
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10358005
Tags: astrophotography
Related glossary terms: Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) , Milky Way , Sky , Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC)
Categories: Milky Way and Interstellar Medium , Naked Eye Astronomy

Image license: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) icons

The media file captions presented on the OAE website were written, translated and reviewed by a collective effort from the OAE, the OAE Centers and Nodes, the OAE National Astronomy Education Coordinators (NAECs) and other volunteers. You can find a full list of credits for our translation project here. All media file captions are released under a Creative Commons CC BY-4.0 license and should be credited to "IAU OAE". The media files themselves may have different licenses (see above) and should be credited as listed above under "credit".

Captions in Different Languages:

French
Image caption: Cette photographie époustouflante a été prise le 17 juin 2023, près de Keetmanshoop, en Namibie, à l'aide d'un smartphone. Dominant le ciel nocturne, l'arc majestueux de la Voie Lactée crée un pont céleste à travers les cieux. L'image capture une série d'objets astronomiques remarquables : le Grand et le Petit Nuage de Magellan, vus vers le bas de l'image et apparaissant comme des nuages flous ; Antarès, vu vers le haut à gauche de l'image ; et la nébuleuse du sac de charbon désignée par divers noms par les cultures indigènes du monde entier), vue verticalement au-dessus du Grand Nuage de Magellan. Sur cette toile de fond astrale, les arbres, qui sont en fait des aloès succulents originaires d'Afrique australe, ajoutent une touche à la beauté unique de la Terre. Historiquement, ces plantes étaient appelées "arbres à carquois" parce que des groupes d'indigènes locaux utilisaient leurs branches creuses pour contenir des fléchettes. Le paysage serein de la Namibie, combiné à l'éclat des étoiles de l'hémisphère sud, offre un aperçu de la majesté de notre univers.
Image credit: Jianfeng Dai/IAU OAE (CC BY 4.0)
Related glossary terms: Ciel , Grand nuage de Magellan (LMC) , Petit Nuage de Magellan (SMC) , Voie lactée
Caption translation status: Not yet approved by a reviewer
Caption translators: Rulx Narcisse

Italian
Image caption: Vincitore del concorso di astrofotografia IAU OAE 2023, categoria Immagini fisse con smartphone-dispositivi mobili: Via Lattea sopra l'albero faretra, di Jianfeng Dai.
Questa fotografia mozzafiato è stata catturata il 17 giugno 2023, vicino a Keetmanshoop, in Namibia, ed è una delle sei vincitrici nella categoria Immagini fisse scattate esclusivamente con smartphone/dispositivi mobili. Dominando il cielo notturno, il maestoso arco della Via Lattea crea un ponte celeste attraverso i cieli. L'immagine cattura una serie di oggetti astronomici degni di nota: la Grande e la Piccola Nube di Magellano, che si vedono verso la parte inferiore dell'immagine e appaiono come nuvole sfocate; Antares, che si vede in alto a sinistra dell'immagine; e la nebulosa del sacco di carbone (indicata con vari nomi dalle culture indigene di tutto il mondo), che si vede verticalmente sopra la Grande Nube di Magellano. In questo scenario astrale, gli alberi - che in realtà sono piante succulente di aloe originarie dell'Africa meridionale - aggiungono un tocco unco di bellezza terrestre. Storicamente, queste piante erano conosciute come "alberi faretra" perché i gruppi di indigeni locali usavano i loro rami scavati per tenere le frecce. Il sereno paesaggio della Namibia, unito alla brillantezza delle stelle dell'emisfero meridionale, offre uno sguardo alla maestosità del nostro Universo.
Image credit: Jianfeng Dai/IAU OAE (CC BY 4.0)
Related glossary terms: Cielo , Grande Nube di Magellano (LMC) , Piccola Nube di Magellano (SMC) , Via Lattea
Caption translation status: Not yet approved by a reviewer
Caption translators: Valentina La Parola