of Milky Way has long fascinated mankind, blanketing 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.
annual Milky Way Picture of the Year the contest showcases stunning images that highlight the majesty of our heavenly home. Here, we explore our amazing galaxy through the lens of this year’s winners.
“Lightning Lake” – Tom Rae
The bold band of the Milky Way splits the sky as it hits the summit of Aoraki / Mt Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand. Tom Rae traveled through a glacial valley to capture the glowing sky against the blue-blue lake and icy terrain on a winter night.
“Lions den” – Lorenzo Ranieri Tenti
Lorenzo Ranieri Tenti took this fascinating image of the colorful hues of the Milky Way in the night sky. This image was taken at a mountain lion reserve in the Atacama Desert in Chile – home to several astronomical telescopes, including the upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory, as well as cougars (Puma concolor).
“Atmospheric Fireworks” – Julien Looten
As if taken at the center of a bubble, this panoramic image captures the entire arc of the Milky Way along with a stunning airglow that illuminates the night sky in southwest France.
Julien Looten took and merged panoramic photos of 40 different exposures to capture the colorful bands. “This natural phenomenon occurs due to a chemical reaction in the upper atmosphere, emitting faint light known as chemiluminescence,” Looten said in a statement. STATEMENT.
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“The Flowering Bottle Tree” – Rositsa Dimitrova
This stunning photo captures the Milky Way over a blooming bottle tree (Adenium socotranum) – an endemic tree of the island of Socotra in Yemen.
Rosica Dimitrova took advantage of the total lack of light pollution on the island 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 futility of life” – Mikhail Minkov
In Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert, also known as the Valley of the Moon, Mihal Minkov captured a solitary figure in an otherworldly landscape. Overhead, the bright stars of the Milky Way shine.
“Starry hoodoo Wonderland” – Stephanie Thi
Photographed over Kanab, Utah, the Milky Way covers the sky above a scenic landscape of balanced rock formations known as hoodoos. These bay formations were formed over millions of years by erosion.
“Starlight Therapy” – Kavan Chay
In this stunning photograph, the Milky Way arcs gracefully over some campers on rugged Aoraki / Mount Cook. Tea pot made the ascent to camp under the ethereal glow of the night sky — a scene he described as “breathtaking” in the statement.
“The Road to Winter Paradise” – Andrea Curzi
Above the high mountain pass of Passo Giau in Italy, the bright band of the Milky Way shines on the untouched, snow-covered land. Andrea Curzi captured this nearly 300-degree field of view of the galaxy while temperatures were at 17 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 8 degrees Celsius).
“Celestial symphony over a high desert lagoon” – Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn
In this image, taken at about 15,000 feet (4,500 meters) above sea level, a tranquil lagoon shimmers beneath a tapestry of Milky Way stars in the Atacama Desert. Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn noticed that during the day sunlight bounced off the pool of water and replicated this using a flashlight to capture the magical scene at night.
“Milky Way in the morning glory pool” – Jerry Zhang
In this image, dense stars reflect the famous Morning Glory Hot Spring in Yellowstone National Park. The pool reflects the constellations Scorpio and Antares.
The hot spring was named for its resemblance to a colorful flower. But its famous crystal blue waters have turned bright green due to pollution, Zhang said in the statement.
To see the full list of winners, check out the official Milky Way Photographer of the Year website.
