PUNCH First Light (IMAGE)

Southwest Research Institute

PUNCH First Light

Caption

On April 14, 2025, the SwRI-led PUNCH mission opened the doors of two instruments, collecting this first-light image and demonstrating that the cameras are in focus, working properly and capturing deep-field images of the “night” sky against the “noontime” glare of space. Several familiar constellations are visible, including Taurus (just right of top center) and the Pleiades (upper right).  The soft diffuse glow is “zodiacal light,” glinting off microscopic dust particles orbiting the Sun.

Credit

NASA/Southwest Research Institute

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