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APOD: 2026 April 21 – Three Sky Arches over Snowy Alps

A 360-degree panoramic view from the snowy Alps showing three distinct sky arches: the Milky Way's inner and outer arcs connected by a band of zodiacal light.

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APOD: 2026 April 21 – Three Sky Arches over Snowy Alps

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APOD: 2026 April 21 – Three Sky Arches over Snowy Alps

Summary: This 360-degree panorama captures three distinct sky arches over the snowy Alps: the Milky Way's inner and outer arcs, bridged by the faint glow of zodiacal light.

Captured by astrophotographer Angel Fux from a high mountain peak in the Alps near the Swiss-Italian border, this 360-degree panorama reveals a rare triple-arch phenomenon. The image features the inner arch of the Milky Way (visible before sunrise) on the left and the outer arch (visible after sunset) on the right. These two galactic structures are connected by a faint, luminous arc of zodiacal light—sunlight scattered by dust within the inner Solar System—which became visible due to the exceptionally dark sky conditions at the high-altitude location.

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1. Introduction to the triple-arch phenomenon 2. Location and capture conditions in the Alps 3. Identification of the three arches: Inner Milky Way, Outer Milky Way, and Zodiacal Light 4. Explanation of zodiacal light as sunlight scattered by Solar System dust 5. Technical details: 360-degree panorama and 40 hours of image processing

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