The image, posted by NASA on 20 May, captures the galaxy’s bright central bulge and the colorful Rho Ophiuchi region, rich in reflection nebulae and dark dust clouds.
“It is an enormous joy and an even greater motivation to keep going,” Rogozińska told the Polish Press Agency (PAP). She shot the frame in late February near the University of Hawaii’s 2.2-meter telescope, one of 13 instruments atop the 4,207-meter Mauna Kea summit, widely regarded as one of the world’s best stargazing sites.
Rogozińska, a psychologist and educator by profession, said astrophotography is more than a hobby: “I travel hundreds of kilometers in search of dark skies and rare phenomena.”
Her portfolio includes Perseid meteor trails over southern Poland, auroras in the far north and a total solar eclipse in the United States.
Her first APOD came in 2021 for an image of a Perseid meteor streaking above Busko-Zdrój in southeastern Poland.
Rogozińska’s photographs appear in Polish astronomy magazines and are currently on show at the Miechowice Palace in Bytom, southern Poland. She also leads workshops for young people and speaks at public astronomy events.
Several other Polish photographers have earned APOD status in recent months, underscoring the country’s growing reputation in the field. Recent honorees include Marcin Rosadziński, Mariusz Durlej and Wioleta Gorecka.
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Source: PAP, RMF24