Summer Night in Astronomy Town


This serene view records a late summer night sky over the rolling,
green hills of planet Earth. It was taken near the rural village of
Saadat Shahr, Fars province, in southern Iran. Saadat Shahr is
also known as Astronomy Town, as the inhabitants have
demonstrated a remarakble passion for sky gazing. Fittingly,
this Astronomy Town sky view finds a lovely part of the Milky
Way near picture center. The three brightest stars are the stars
of the Summer Triangle, Deneb in Cygnus (top), Altair in
Aquila (left), and Vega in Lyra (right). The foreground landscape,
illuminated by Astronomy Town lights, includes a kind of wild
pistachio tree common in the region.

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