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TheMilky Wayhas long fascinated humanity , covering the night sky with its familiar constellations and dense stream of star . The full beauty of our extragalactic nebula is hard to see with the defenseless eye , but with the help of modern television camera , photographer can capture it in vibrant point .
The annualMilky Way Photographer of the Yearcompetition showcases awe - inspiring images that work the sizeableness of our celestial home into position . Here , we explore our breathtaking galaxy through the lense of this twelvemonth ’s winners .
The Milky Way photographed above a bottle tree in Socotra island, Yemen.
“Lightning lake” — Tom Rae
The bold ribbon of theMilky Wayparts the sky as it strike the tip of Aoraki / Mount Cook , the high mountain in New Zealand . Tom Raejourneyed through a glacial valley to appropriate the glow sky against the cyan - blue lake and icy terrain on a winter night .
“Lions den” — Lorenzo Ranieri Tenti
Lorenzo Ranieri Tentitook this captivating image of the multicolored chromaticity of the Milky Way in the night sky . This figure was taken at a mountain Panthera leo reserve in the Atacama Desert in Chile — home to several galactic telescopes , include the outgoing Vera C. Rubin Observatory , as well as cougars ( Puma concolor ) .
“Atmospheric fireworks” — Julien Looten
As if taken in the center of a bubble , this bird’s-eye image beguile the entire electric arc of the Milky Way alongside a stunning airglow that lights up the Nox sky in the southwest of France .
Julien Lootentook and merged panoramic photos of 40 different exposures to capture the multicolored band . " This natural phenomenon occurs due to a chemic chemical reaction in the upper atmosphere , breathe faint Light Within known as chemiluminescence , " Looten said in astatement .
touch on : Some of the oldest stars in the macrocosm line up hiding near the Milky Way ’s edge — and they may not be alone
The Milky Way photographed above a bottle tree in Socotra island, Yemen.
“Blooming bottle tree” — Rositsa Dimitrova
This arresting picture captures the Milky Way above a flower bottle tree ( Adenium socotranum ) — a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree endemic to Socotra island in Yemen .
Rositsa Dimitrovatook reward of the island ’s total lack of light contamination to capture this outstanding photo . " The night sky in Socotra is categorize as Bortle 1 on the dark sky scurf — the darkest you may possibly get , " Dimitrova said in the statement .
“The vanity of life” — Mihail Minkov
In Jordan ’s Wadi Rum Desert , also have sex as the Valley of the Moon , Mihal Minkovcaptured a lone number in an otherworldly landscape . Overhead , the shining stars of the Milky Way shimmer .
“Starry hoodoo wonderland” — Stephanie Thi
snap over Kanab , Utah , the whitish way of life covers the sky above a scenic landscape painting of balanced rock constitution , known as hoodoo . These toadstool formations are shaped over 1000000 of years by eroding .
“Starlight therapy” — Kavan Chay
In this sensational photo , the Milky Way arches graciously over some camper on the broken mountain of Aoraki / Mount Cook . Kavan Chaymade the ascent to camp under the ethereal gleam of the nighttime sky — a scene he name as " breathtaking " in the statement .
“Road to winter paradise” — Andrea Curzi
Above the high mountain pass of Passo Giau in Italy , the luminous band of the Milky Way radiate down on the unswayed , C. P. Snow - covered terra firma . Andrea Curzicaptured this approximately 300 - degree landing field of view of the galaxy while temperatures were at a frozen 17 degree Fahrenheit ( minus 8 degrees Celsius ) .
“The celestial symphony above a high desert lagoon” — Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn
In this image , read at about 15,000 feet ( 4,500 meter ) above sea level , a tranquil lagoon glows under a arras of the Milky Way ’s star topology in the Atacama Desert . Kerry - Ann Lecky Hepburnnoticed that during the day the sunlight ’s beams bounce off the pool of water and repeat this by using a flashlight to entrance the magical scene at Nox .
“Milky Way at morning glory pool” — Jerry Zhang
— Space photo of the week : ' God ’s Hand ' exit astronomers scratching their heads
— Most monumental stellar black hole in the Milky Way see ' extremely close ' to globe
— Group of 60 ultra - faint stars orbiting the milklike Way could be new case of Galax urceolata never view before
In this effigy , dim star mull off of the renowned Morning Glory hot spring in Yellowstone National Park . The puddle mirrors the constellation Scorpius and Antares .
The hot leaping was named for its likeness to a colorful flower . But its famous quartz glass blue piss have exchange to a smart gullible because of pollution , Zhang say in the statement .
To see the full list of winner , check out the officialMilky Way Photographer of the Yearwebsite .
The Milky Way photographed above a bottle tree in Socotra island, Yemen.
Space picture of the week : Bizarre 1 - armed helical galaxy sandbag Hubble scientists
Soviet ballistic capsule Kosmos 482 crash back to Earth , melt into Indian Ocean after 53 years in orbit
Was it a stone tool or just a rock candy ? An archaeologist explains how scientists can tell the difference
