Big Dipper Above Valley of the Moon

The symbol of northern hemisphere sky, the Big Dipper can also be seen from the northern regions of the southern hemisphere. This image shows the big dipper “upside-down” above the Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon) in the San Pedro de Atacama region in Northern Chile. The valley is located 13 kilometers west of San Pedro in the Atacama desert of Chile. It’s an interesting place with stone and sand formations which have been created through the centuries by floods and wind, which has also given it an extraordinary color and texture, looking similar to the surface of the moon.

At latitude close to the tropic of Capricorn, here is near the limit to see the seven main stars of Ursa Major constellation (Big Dipper) clearly above horizon.