The
spiny forest is silhouetted against a brilliant night sky and early dawn light
at 25 degrees south latitude in southern Madagascar. The Milky Way stretches
overhead and the Southern Cross lies on its side in the center of the
photograph, at treetop level. One bright star seems to touch the ground below
the Southern Cross -- it is alpha Centauri, the closest star system
to Earth. We took this digital exposure at 4:15 A.M. on November 9, 2003,
during a total lunar eclipse. It was a magical moment when the full
moon was darkened by the Earth's shadow and the sky, no longer whitewashed
by the moon's glare, opened up.
