The image was captured last month by Włodzimierz Bubak in the Mała Łąka Valley, within the Tatra National Park.
The photograph shows hydrogen nebulae in the Orion constellation region, including the Great Orion Nebula (M42), the Rosette Nebula and Barnard's Loop, set against the silhouette of Tatra peaks from Giewont to Wielka Turnia Małołącka.
Bubak told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) the nebulae are invisible to the naked eye and were captured using an astro-modified camera, long exposure on a star-tracking mount, and an H-alpha band-pass filter.
"I wanted to combine the distant, cosmic landscape with a recognisable Polish scene," he said, adding that the Tatras are one of the few places in Poland where relatively dark skies remain, though light pollution is increasing.
The timing was deliberate.
"Orion is best visible in Poland in the winter sky. I needed snow-covered peaks, an attractive foreground and a human silhouette to emphasise the scale of the mountains and cosmic space. I also needed a cloudless and moonless night," Bubak said.
The photographer, who teaches programming at a vocational centre in Jaworzno, southern Poland, has pursued astrophotography for several years.
This is his second NASA picture of the day honour.
In December 2024, his image of hydrogen nebulae above Babia Góra mountain was also recognised.
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD), run since 1995 in partnership with Michigan Technological University, publishes one selected cosmic photograph daily.
Polish photographers regularly feature among those honoured, with Marcin Rosadziński receiving the APOD title four times.
(ał)
Source: PAP