As an astronomy enthusiast, I have a daily look since May at the APOD, the astronomy picture of the day from the NASA.
On July 2nd, this page proposed a 30-second amazing and stunning video based on various photos of the Pelican Nebula, also referred to as IC 5070 by the specialists.
If you are interested in astronomy, or you just like beautiful images, you will greatly appreciate this zooming picture.
The little film begins on a photo without any zoom, and then the pictures are zooming more and more at a precise part of the sky. This finishes brilliantly on an image of the Pelican Nebula, obtained by a professional telescope. All images between are worth the look and you will surely appreciate this voyage beyond time and space.
Here is the comment of the NASA on this great film :
Where is the Pelican Nebula? APOD features many objects in the night sky, but usually does not have the resources to show where each one lies.
Today, thanks to inventive digital manipulations of Filipe Alves, it is possible to show you exactly where the photogenic Pelican Nebula can be found. Clicking on the arrow will cause many browsers to download and play a spectacular movie that zooms from the perspective of an unaided human eye to that of a powerful telescope.
The observatory dome visible on the right is part of Calar Alto Observatory in southern Spain. The image zooms into the constellation of Cygnus, passes the greater Pelican Nebula (IC 5070), and settles on a dust structure in the Pelican head housing unborn stars. Alternatively, the movie is also available here.
For a similar experience of zooming into the night skies, I strongly recommend you a book I reviewed here in May.
Source : http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070702.html
Credit & Copyright: Filipe Alves