APOD 4.4

This brilliant image of the Milky Way Galaxy was taken March 27th by the European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert. The clear, dry sky of the area provides optimal conditions for observations. At the top of the image you can see a very bright moon paired with the "morning star," Venus. In the plane of the galaxy you can see the bulge, halo, arms, and the very distinct dust clouds. I selected this APOD, not only because of it's magnificence, but also because we are currently studying galaxies.