We thought it would be fun to switch it up a little bit today! Do you think this image is art, or do you think it's science? Let us know on social media (links in footer) and check in on Saturday to get the answer.
Update: Saturday Answer --- Art or science? Or, BOTH! Thanks for playing along. Everyone was correct! The intention of the photo was purely scientific, but the outcome was a beautiful artistic image. We found this photo digging through our 2012 archives. Unfortunately, the name of the photographer has been lost to us, but we still wanted to share it. The brightest star in our skies, Sirius — only 51 trillion miles away (8.5 light years x 6 trillion miles) — is the focus of this piece. The star’s photons started their journey over 8 years prior, but the last part of their trip to the surface of Earth was an extremely bumpy ride through 60 miles of atmosphere (similar to the turbulence you experience on an airplane). The photographer took a time lapse photo and caught its multi-colored flashes of refracted light jumping around in the eye piece. Sirius is a winter star, but you might still be able to catch a glimpse of it tonight very low on the southwestern horizon at 8:30pm. Hold on to your seat and enjoy the magnificent view!