Eagle Constellation Soars Through Summer Night Sky in Dazzling Photo

Night sky photographer Bill Schlein took this photo on Aug. 10 from Ionia, N.Y. of the northern constellation Aquila (the Eagle) seen along the Milky Way. The image also features Barnard's E Nebula (Barnard 142 and 143)—the dark area seen near the top, right of the image. The brightest star in Aquila is Altair, which can be spotted toward the top of the photo. (Image credit: Bill Schlein )

Night sky photographer Bill Schlein captured the northern constellation Aquila (The Eagle) along a dusty Milky Way in this beautiful image recently submitted to SPACE.com.

The photo shows our dazzling host galaxy, as well as the dark-looking "Barnard's E" nebula (also known as Barnard 142 and 143), which can be seen near the top right of the image.

Best seen during the summer months along the Milky Way, Aquila resides a few degrees north of the celestial equator. The brightest star in the constellation is Altair, which is visible at the top of the photo. Along with the stars Deneb and Vega, Altair forms one of the points of the asterism known as the "Summer Triangle."

Schlein took the image on Aug. 10 from Ionia, N.Y., using a Canon XSi camera, seven subs at four minutes each, ISO 400 and 35mm lens at f/3.5.

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Nina Sen is a freelance writer and producer who covered night sky photography and astronomy for Space.com. She began writing and producing content for Space.com in 2011 with a focus on story and image production, as well as amazing space photos captured by NASA telescopes and other missions. Her work also includes coverage of amazing images by astrophotographers that showcase the night sky's beauty.