The Milky Way has long fascinated humanity, covering the night sky with its familiar constellations and dense streams of stars. The full beauty of our galaxy is difficult to see with the naked eye, but with the help of modern cameras, photographers can capture it in vivid detail.
The annual one Milky Way Photographer of the Year competition features awe-inspiring images that portray the grandeur of our heavenly home. Here we explore our breathtaking galaxy through the lens of this year’s winners.
“Lightning Lake” – Tom Rae
The bold ribbon of the Milky Way splits the sky as it touches the summit of Aoraki/Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand. Tom Rae traveled through a glacial valley to capture the glowing sky against the cyan blue lake and icy terrain on a winter night.
“Lion’s Den” — Lorenzo Ranieri Tenti
Lorenzo Ranieri Tenti captured this captivating image of the multicolored hues of the Milky Way in the night sky. This photo was taken at a mountain lion sanctuary in Chile’s Atacama Desert – home to several astronomical telescopes, including the upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory, as well as pumas (Puma concolour).
“Atmospheric fireworks” — Julien Looten
As if taken from the center of a bubble, this panoramic image captures the entire arc of the Milky Way, alongside a stunning airglow lighting up the night sky in southwestern France.
Julien Looten took panoramic photos from 40 different exposures and merged them to capture the multicolored bands. “This natural phenomenon occurs due to a chemical reaction in the upper atmosphere, emitting faint light known as chemiluminescence,” Looten said in a study. rack.
Related: Some of the oldest stars in the universe have been found at the edge of the Milky Way – and they may not be the only ones
“Blooming bottle tree” – Rositsa Dimitrova
This beautiful photo captures the Milky Way above a blossoming bottle tree (Adenium socotranum) – a tree endemic to the island of Socotra in Yemen.
Rositsa Dimitrova took advantage of the island’s complete lack of light pollution to capture this spectacular photo. “The night sky in Socotra is categorized as Bortle 1 on the dark sky scale – the darkest you can get,” Dimitrova said in the statement.
“The Vanity of Life” – Mihail Minkov
In Jordan’s Wadi Rum Desert, also known as the Valley of the Moon, Mihal Minkov captured a lonely figure in an alien landscape. The radiant stars of the Milky Way glitter above your head.
“Starry Hoodoo Wonderland” – Stephanie Thi
The Milky Way, photographed over Kanab, Utah, blankets the sky above a picturesque landscape of balanced rock formations known as hoodoos. These mushroom formations have been formed by erosion over millions of years.
“Starlight Therapy” – Kavan Chay
In this beautiful photo, the Milky Way gracefully arches over some campers on the rugged Mount Aoraki / Mount Cook. Kavan Chay made the climb to camp under the ethereal glow of the night sky – a scene he described in the statement as “breathtaking.”
“Road to Winter Paradise” — Andrea Curzi
Above the high mountain pass of Passo Giau in Italy, the luminous band of the Milky Way shines down on the pristine snow-covered ground. Andrea Curzi captured this roughly 300-degree field of view of the Milky Way while the temperature was a frigid 17 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 8 degrees Celsius).
“The Heavenly Symphony Above a High Desert Lagoon” – Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn
In this image, taken about 15,000 feet above sea level, a calm lagoon glows beneath a carpet of Milky Way stars in the Atacama Desert. Kerry Ann Lecky Hepburn noticed the sun’s rays reflecting off the pool of water during the day and replicated this by using a flashlight to capture the magical scene at night.
“Milky Way at Morning Glory Pool” – Jerry Zhang
In this image, dense stars reflect the famous Morning Glory Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. The pool reflects the constellations Scorpio and Antares.
The hot spring is named for its resemblance to a colorful flower. But the famous crystal blue water has turned into bright green due to pollution, Zhang said in the statement.
Visit the official Milky Way Photographer of the Year website for the full list of winners.