What is that in the mirror?

In the image, it's easy to spot the three brightest galaxies of the night in the dark southern sky. From left to right, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the central belt of our Milky Way galaxy are clearly visible. All three can also be seen reflected in a shallow puddle of water.

But what is reflected in the mirror held by the astrophotographer? The dense dust clouds at the center of the Milky Way and the planet Jupiter. This impressive composite image was meticulously planned, combining frames taken with the same camera from the same location on the same night.

It was taken in Mostardas in southern Brazil in mid-2019 and won first place in the “Connecting to the Dark” category of the International Dark Sky Association's 2021 “Capture the Dark” competition.

September 13, 2021 Astronomy Photo of the Day (NASA APOD)

Image Source and Copyright: Egon Filter