View larger. | Milky Way over Arecibo, by Ferdinand Arroyo.

Be sure to click into the larger view of this photo. It’s the extensive cloud of stars at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, over Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. We see this Milky Way star cloud because, in this direction, we’re looking toward the galaxy’s center. Ferdinand Arroyo, from Sociedad de Astronomía del Caribe (Astronomical Society of the Caribbean) took this beautiful photo using a Nikon D90 with a Sigma 10mm lens. 30 secs exposure at ISO 1600, F/4.

Thank you, Ferdinand and Sociedad de Astronomía del Caribe!

By the way, in case you are wondering, here’s what the observatory looks like in daylight.

Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, via Wikimedia Commons.

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.