This image of a distant, rich star field shows that your daily weather forecast is not the only one that might include the term "partly cloudy."

Across the galaxy, clouds of gas and dust obscure some stars -- partly or wholly -- while clear patches reveal the splendor stellar abundance deep into the Milky Way. This new picture, taken by amateur astronomer Fred Calvert with the help of a professional at the Kitt Peak National Observatory, shows both.

The oval collection of bluish stars slightly to the right of center is known as M24. These stars are about 10,000 light-years away, clearly visible because of a break in clouds that obscure similarly faraway stars in other parts of the picture. Here and there, dark and wispy space clouds in the foreground can be seen blocking nearly all starlight.

Calvert partook in a nightly observing program led by Adam Block, who helps amateurs see things and take astrophotographs that they otherwise could not, using the observatory's professional-grade telescopes.

This image was made with a relatively small telescope, which allowed large sections of the sky to be captured at once, Block explained. In fact, three images were stitched together to create the broad mosaic.

Credit: Fred Calvert/Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF