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NASA’s October 13, 2026 Astronomy Picture of the Day, “Desert Stairway to Heaven,” pairs a Chilean desert sculpture with the Milky Way. Photographer Julien Looten made the wide-angle composite in July 2025. The image also reveals zodiacal light, airglow, and several landmarks around the Atacama Desert.
What is in the Desert Stairway to Heaven picture?
The foreground sculpture is the Desert Staircase in Chile. Behind it, the Milky Way appears to rise over the Atacama Desert. NASA describes the image as a wide-angle composite, captured in July 2025 and credited to photographer Julien Looten. NASA’s APOD entry identifies several additional details in the sky and along the horizon.
What to look for in the sky
- The Milky Way’s dark lane: Dark dust clouds interrupt the bright band of the galaxy, creating a prominent dark feature.
- Zodiacal light: A faint band of light appears at the upper left. It is sunlight scattered by dust in the inner Solar System.
- Airglow: Green and red light appears just above the horizon. Airglow is a natural glow from Earth’s upper atmosphere.
- Spica: This bright star lies within the zodiacal-light stripe.
- The Small Magellanic Cloud: This nearby dwarf galaxy appears at the top right.
Landmarks along the horizon
NASA’s caption identifies the Andes Mountains and Licancabur volcano on the horizon, as well as the lights of San Pedro de Atacama. These terrestrial details place the night-sky scene in Chile’s Atacama region rather than in an abstract desert landscape.
When was the image taken?
The APOD was published on October 13, 2026, but the photograph was captured earlier. NASA’s caption states: “The featured wide-angle composite was captured in July 2025.” The publication date and capture date refer to different events.
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Does NASA identify the camera or lens?
No. NASA calls the image a wide-angle composite but does not specify Looten’s camera, lens, or settings. A wide-angle lens is a general option for photographing broad night-sky scenes, but the APOD does not establish that any particular equipment was used.
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