A laser disappears into the Milky Way's heart photo of the day for July 16, 2026

A laser star guide beams up from the Gemini South Observatory and into the Milky Way on Cerro Pachón, Chile, in this photo from July 16, 2026. Petr Horálek captured the image, showing how the powerful laser creates a fake star to help the telescope correct light distortions while observing.