Sirius, the
brightest star in the night sky, rises over the snow-covered mountains around
Trout Lake, Colorado.
Also known
as the Dog Star, Sirius sits in the constellation Canis Major (Big Dog) and
shines twice as bright as any other star in the night sky.
Jimmy Westlake
caught this view of the rising Sirius the evening on January 15, 2005. He used
a 50 mm lens and Nikon FE-2 camera to take a 20-minute exposure of the event beginning
at 7:01 p.m. local time.
“When
Sirius suddenly appears, it’s as if a miniature sun has risen,” Westlake said
of the view. “I actually say the star-glow from Sirius a full three minutes
before it broke the horizon!”
-- Tariq Malik
Credit: Jimmy Westlake
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