NASA astronaut's shot from space features in Photographer of the Year competition
The travel photography blog Capture the Atlas has released the eighth edition of its annual Milky Way Photographer of the Year, showcasing a curated collection of the 25 best Milky Way photos around the globe.
And – for the first time ever – the collection includes a shot taken from space.
Described by Capture the Atlas as an "extraordinary milestone," the image One in a Billion, was captured by NASA astronaut Don Pettit aboard the International Space Station.
Astrophotography is among the most challenging genres in photography. Increasing light pollution only adds to the difficulty of capturing the night sky in all its clarity and vibrancy.
That's also why many of this year's images come from some of the most remote and pristine locations on Earth – from the deserts of Cha and the peaks of the Andes to the surreal landscapes of Socotra Island and the untouched skies of New Zealand and Namibia.
This year's collection also includes striking captures of celestial events: a comet, a meteor shower and a lunar eclipse, each beautifully set against the glowing backdrop of the Milky Way.
So, let's dive into ten standout images, explore the stories behind the stills and take a look at the gear that made these awe-inspiring shots possible. Because in astrophotography, the right equipment makes all the difference.
To view the full gallery, head over to Capture the Atlas' website.
Image 1 of 2
Double Milky Way Arch Over Matterhorn by Angel Fux
Image info- Both arches: f/5.6, 127 sec, ISO 2500- Foreground: f/5, 1/5 sec, ISO 800
Gear info -Nikon Z6 Astromodified (for the sky part) -Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S- Nikon Z8 (for the landscape part) - Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S- Benro Polaris Astro Kit- Peak Design travel tripod
"This image captures the rare Double Arch Milky Way, where both the Winter Milky Way (with Orion rising) and the Summer Milky Way (with the Galactic Center) appear in the same night – a seamless transition between seasons.
"Taken at 3,200 meters in the heart of winter, the night was brutally cold, testing both my endurance and equipment. This is a time blend, preserving the real positions of both arches by combining frames taken hours apart, with the foreground captured at dawn for the best detail.
"Zermatt and the Matterhorn have been photographed countless times, but I aimed to create something truly unique – an image captured under conditions few would attempt. I'm incredibly proud of the effort and patience it took to bring this vision to life."
Image 2 of 2
Tololo Lunar Eclipse Sky by Petr Horálek
Image info- Single exposures stitched to a panorama - f/1.8, 81x10 sec, ISO 8000Gear info- Canon EOS Ra- Sigma Art 35mm f/1.8
"On March 14 2025, a total lunar eclipse occurred, especially visible over the Americas and the Pacific Ocean. I was fortunate to observe this particular eclipse from the NSF Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. You can see how epic the sky was during totality, as the Moon darkened enough for the majestic Milky Way, the faint belt of Zodiacal Light, and prominent airglow to stand out."
Image 1 of 3
One in a Billion by Don Pettit
Image info - 14mm, f/1.4, 8 sec, ISO 6400
Gear info- Nikon Z9- Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art- Sky Watcher modified tracker
"I float in the Cupola, looking out the seven windows composing this faceted transparent jewel. While my mind is submerged in contemplation, my eyes gorge on the dim reflections from a nighttime Earth.
"There are over eight billion people that call this planet home. There are seven of us that can say the same for Space Station. What a privilege it is to be here. I used an orbital star tracker to take out the star streak motion from orbit."
Image 2 of 3
Blosoom by Ethan Su
Image info - Sky: 1 row tracked panorama at f/2, 90 sec, ISO 800- Foreground: 2 row panorama and focus stack, f/2.8, 60 sec, ISO 6400- 65 images in total
Gear info - Sony A7 III (astromodified)- Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG DN Art- Vixen Polarie U- Leofoto LS-284cex tripod
"After 3 years of waiting, the Yushan alpine rhododendrons are finally in bloom once again on Taiwan's 3,000-meter-high Hehuan Mountain. On this special night, distant clouds helped block city light pollution, revealing an exceptionally clear view of the Milky Way.
"A solar flare from active region AR3664 reached Earth that evening, intensifying the airglow and adding an otherworldly touch to the sky. Together, these rare natural events created a breathtaking scene – vivid blooms glowing softly beneath a star-filled sky."
Image 3 of 3
Cosmic Fire by Sergio Montúfar
Image info- Single image, f/2.8, 10 sec, ISO 3200
Gear info - Canon 6D Astromodified- Samyang/ Rolinon 24mm f/1.4 ED AS IF UMC- Sirui tripod
"On the early morning of June 02 2024, I summited Acatenango Volcano for the first time, hoping to witness the fiery beauty of the neighboring Volcan de Fuego against the Milky Way's backdrop. That night, the volcano was incredibly active – each thunderous explosion reverberated in my chest, while glowing lava illuminated the dark slopes.
"Above, the Milky Way stretched diagonally across the sky, a mesmerizing band of stars contrasting with the chaos below. As the volcano erupted, the ash plume rose vertically, forming an acute angle of about 45 degrees with the galaxy's diagonal path, creating a stunning visual contrast between Earth's fury and the cosmos' serenity.
"Capturing this required a fast, wide-angle lens (f/2.8), an ISO of 3200, and a 10-second exposure to balance the volcanic glow with the starlight. The challenge was timing the shot during a new moon and aligning the right moment for the Milky Way to cross the frame next to the volcano. I used Lightroom as the editor.
"This image is special for its storytelling – the raw power of Volcan de Fuego meeting the tranquil expanse of the galaxy."
Image 1 of 3
A Sea of Lupines by Max Inwood
Image info- Sky: f/2.0, 30 sec, ISO 3200- Foreground: f/2.4, 30 sec, ISO 6400
Gear info - Canon EOS 6D (astromodified)- Sigma 28mm f/1.4 Art- Samyang 14mm f/1.4 XP- iOption SkyGuider Pro
"The annual lupine bloom in New Zealand is spectacular, with fields of colorful flowers stretching across the Mackenzie Basin. This region, located in the heart of the South Island, is renowned for its dark skies, making the scene even more surreal at night.
"I had to wait until the early hours of the morning for the wind to calm down, but eventually everything became still, and I was able to capture this image.
"Above the flowers, you can see the band of the outer Milky Way, alongside the constellations Orion, Gemini, and the Pleiades. Joining them are the bright planets Jupiter and Mars, with a strong display of green airglow visible along the horizon."
Image 2 of 3
Bottle Tree Paradise by Benjamin Barakat
Image info - Foreground (blue hour): f/8, 10 sec, ISO 400- Sky: f/2.0, 5x120 sec, ISO 400
Gear info- Sony A7 IV- Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM- Sunwayfoto T2840CK- MSM Nomad
"Socotra is one of my favorite places on Earth, but when it comes to a specific location, this one stands out. It doesn't have an official name, as it's not a destination for the few fortunate tourists who visit Socotra. After shooting there for the past four years and scouting the island, I've discovered hidden gems like this one, which I call Bottle Tree Paradise.
"Bottle trees are unique to Socotra, a result of the island's long isolation from the mainland. This separation allowed them to evolve distinctive features, such as their water-storing, bottle-shaped trunks, which help them survive Socotra's harsh, dry climate. They are believed to have originated from ancient plant species that adapted to the island's unique environment over millions of years."
Image 3 of 3
Boot Arch Perseids by Mike Abramyan
Image info - Sky: Mosaic of 9 images at 50mm, f/2, 92 sec, ISO 400- Foreground: Mosaic of 4 images at 50mm, F/2.8, 92 sec, ISO 400- Meteors: 14mm, f/1.8, 15 sec, ISO 400
Gear info- Sony A7 IV (astromodified)- Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM- Sony FE 14mm 1.8 GM- Benro Polaris- Leofoto LS-324C
"The Perseid Meteor Shower occurs every August, raining down hundreds of meteors over a few nights. In 2024, I had planned to photograph it from the Canadian Rockies, but wildfires forced me to change my plans at the last minute. After checking wildfire maps, I found a safe haven in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.
"After three full nights of capturing meteors, I created this image. Sitting on the rock is my friend Arne, who often joins me on these adventures, gazing up at the magnificent core of our galaxy.
"Each meteor is painstakingly aligned to its true location in the night sky. The final depiction shows all the meteors I captured, combined into one frame – as if the Earth hadn't been rotating and all the meteors had fallen at once."
Image 1 of 2
The Wave by Luis Cajete
Image info - Foreground: 360° panorama, two rows, f/3.5, 8 sec, ISO 6400- Sky: 360° panorama, two rows, f/1.8, 60 sec, ISO 800- Sky H Alpha: three-shot panorama, stacked, f/1.8, 240 sec, ISO 1600
Gear info - Nikon Z6 II- Samyang/ Rolinon 12mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS Fish Eye- Nikon Z6 (astromodified)- Nikon Z 20 mm 1.8- Astronomic filter H-alpha 12nm- iOption Skyguider pro- Leofoto LS324C tripod
"One of my greatest passions is visiting stunning natural wonders and paying my personal tribute to them through night photography. This image was taken at Coyote Buttes, a geological masterpiece located in Arizona, where special access permits are required to protect it for future generations.
"Despite the intense cold during those days, it was incredibly exciting to visit the great sandstone wave for the first time and enjoy its spectacular shapes and colors.
"To capture this 360° panorama, I planned for the Milky Way and focused on creating a balanced photographic composition. It's hard to put into words the beauty of this place, but I hope my photograph manages to convey it."
Image 2 of 2
Un Destello en la Oscuridad by Luis Merino
Image info- Sky: 1 row, 4 panel x 5 shots per panel, f/1,4, 25 sec, ISO 1600- Foreground: 1 row, 3 panels, f/2.8, 120 sec, ISO 6400
Gear info - Sony A7 III Astromodified- Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art- Samyang 8mm f/2.8- Benro Polaris
"In my quest to find new places to practice this beautiful hobby, I discovered this corner, which, with a touch of light, transformed into a dreamlike scene. The lighting highlighted every detail: a stream carved by water, which usually flows forcefully after heavy rains, was now a peaceful calm; and although the Milky Way didn't fully unfold, the galactic center appeared framed like a radiant beacon in the vastness of the night sky.
"The gentle croak of the frogs provided the natural soundtrack to this experience, making each moment feel unique and filled with magic. This experience taught me that light has the power to transform the ordinary into a scene of wonder, revealing nuances that would otherwise go unnoticed."
If you are feeling inspired to start or dive deeper into astrophotography, Capture the Atlas offers tutorials, travel guides, and curated content to help you gain or refine your skills.
Capturing stunning images of the night sky and space starts with having the right gear. Check out our guides to the best cameras for astrophotography and the best lenses for astrophotography.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bio-inspired seashell design turns recycled plastics into consistent, strong materials
Georgia Tech researchers have developed a seashell-inspired material that could transform how recycled plastics are used, making them stronger, more consistent, and cheaper to produce. The breakthrough, led by aerospace engineering assistant professor Christos Athanasiou, could slash the cost of virgin packaging materials by nearly 50 percent and keep more waste out of landfills. The work addresses inconsistency, one of recycling's biggest problems. Less than 10 percent of the 350 million tons of plastic produced each year is effectively recycled, and when it is, the resulting material often can't be trusted for high-performance applications. Nature's blueprint for strength In typical mechanical recycling, plastics are melted together into an unpredictable mix. This randomness creates weaker, less reliable material, unsuitable for critical uses like car components or construction parts. Seashells, however, thrive on imperfection. Their structure, called nacre, is made of brittle mineral 'bricks' bonded with soft protein 'mortar.' This architecture dissipates energy and prevents catastrophic failure, creating robustness without purity. Athanasiou's team borrowed this natural strategy for their synthetic composite design. From pallet wrap to performance The team used recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE), the clear stretch film that wraps pallet loads, and cut it into sheets. These 'bricks' were layered with a softer adhesive polymer 'mortar' to mimic nacre's architecture. When tested on a custom mechanical setup, the bio-inspired material maintained the original performance of virgin plastic while reducing variability in a key performance measure — maximum elongation — by more than 68%. The researchers also developed an 'uncertainty-aware' Tension Shear Chain model to quantify not just strength, but the reliability of performance. HDPE stretch film usually can't be reused for its original purpose after recycling because exposure to sunlight, heat, and stress changes its molecular structure. Athanasiou likens it to 'reusing a parachute without checking for rips.' The seashell-inspired approach, however, restores the material's trustworthiness, opening the door to high-performance reuse. Although the study focuses on plastics, the aerospace connection is clear. Space systems require materials that stay reliable in extreme environments. The same principles could one day help NASA's Lunar Recycling Challenge, where waste materials might be repurposed into survival infrastructure. Next, the team plans to expand the approach to other plastics, pair it with greener adhesives, and explore its potential for off-Earth construction, proving that what nature perfected in the ocean could help solve waste problems on Earth and beyond. Although the study focuses on plastics, the aerospace connection is clear. 'Whether it's a reusable rocket part or a shelter on Mars, we need materials that are resilient across their entire lifecycle,' Athanasiou said. 'Our study tackles a fundamental mechanics problem: how do you build reliable structures from unreliable materials?' The team is now scaling the approach to other recycled plastics and experimenting with bio-based adhesives for greater sustainability. 'Nature doesn't purify — it organizes,' Athanasiou added. 'We're taking that philosophy and applying it to a problem that affects both Earth and the future of space exploration.' The findings of the study have been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Solve the daily Crossword
Gizmodo
2 hours ago
- Gizmodo
Astronomers Discover a Previously Hidden Moon Orbiting Uranus
Astronomers spotted a never-before-seen, bite-sized moon orbiting Uranus, bringing the ice giant's follower count to 29. The moon is so small and faint—well below the detection threshold of NASA's Voyager 2 probe—that scientists believe Uranus may host many more undiscovered, tiny moons. The moon, provisionally named S/2025 U1, first entered the view of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on February 2, 2025. Further imaging led by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) shows that it sits at the edge of Uranus's inner rings, about 35,000 miles (56,000 kilometers) from its center in the planet's equatorial plane. Perhaps the most striking aspect of S/2025 U1 is its tiny size. Assuming it has a similar reflectivity to Uranus's other moons, the object measures only about 6 miles (10 kilometers) across—roughly a quarter the length of a marathon. 'It's a small moon but a significant discovery, which is something that even NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft didn't see during its flyby nearly 40 years ago,' said Maryame El Moutamid, an SwRI scientist, in a NASA statement. 'No other planet has as many small inner moons as Uranus, and their complex interrelationships with the rings hint at a chaotic history that blurs the boundary between a ring system and a system of moons,' added Matthew Tiscareno of the SETI Institute, who participated in the discovery. 'Looking forward, the discovery of this moon underscores how modern astronomy continues to build upon the legacy of missions like Voyager 2, which flew past Uranus on Jan. 24, 1986, and gave humanity its first close-up look at this mysterious world,' said El Moutamid. 'Now, nearly four decades later, the James Webb Space Telescope is pushing that frontier even farther.' Not much is known about the moon's exact composition, but the fact such a small object was hiding in orbit hints at the presence of even more moons like it, Tiscareno added. For the time being, the team is looking into the archives to find a suitable name for the moon, whose names mostly come from Shakespearean characters. Hopefully, we'll soon hear about the new name, along with more details about this latest addition to the Uranus family.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
French firm teams up with JetZero on hydrogen-powered flight
By Tim Hepher PARIS (Reuters) -A French technology startup unveiled plans on Wednesday to work with clean-aircraft venture JetZero to explore a potential hydrogen-powered variant of its futuristic all-wing design. The move by SHZ Advanced Technologies is likely to rekindle a debate over the potential for zero-emission flight, six months after Europe's Airbus put the brakes on plans to develop the world's first hydrogen-powered airliner. California-based JetZero aims to challenge the traditional duopoly of Airbus and Boeing by developing a so-called blended wing-body aircraft, which it claims will be able to cut fuel consumption - and therefore carbon emissions - in half. JetZero and SHZ now plan to work together under a NASA research programme to design systems capable of storing and distributing liquid hydrogen fuel, which could eliminate carbon emissions altogether and evolve into a variant of JetZero's Z4. Hydrogen is prized for its carbon-free emissions and high energy related to mass, which makes it lighter than normal fuel. However, it also takes up much more volume and must be cooled to -253 degrees Celsius, making storage a significant challenge. JetZero's blended wing-body design features a V-shaped fuselage that acts as a wing and reduces friction in the air, rather than the familiar wings and cylindrical fuselage. "Due to the wider fuselage, the airframe is far more compatible with (liquid hydrogen) fuel tanks without sacrificing passenger seating, as a 'tube and wing' airplane would," SHZ Advanced Technologies said on Wednesday. Airbus said in February it was slowing down efforts to produce a hydrogen-powered regional plane and dropped a target date of 2035, blaming a lack of supporting infrastructure. Boeing, by contrast, has been cool on the commercial viability of hydrogen flight altogether. The concept of a blended wing-body design has been around since the 1940s and led to the U.S. B-2 bomber, as well as the X-48 research project between Boeing and NASA some 18 years ago. JetZero is revisiting such designs as the aviation industry struggles to meet a target of net-zero emissions by 2050. Airbus has argued that combining such radical changes to the shape of a plane with an entirely new propulsion system would be too ambitious, and is focusing instead on hydrogen-based fuel cells inside a normal tubular aircraft configuration. But SHZ Advanced Technologies' co-founder Eric Schulz - a former senior executive at Rolls-Royce and Airbus - said JetZero would approach the task in two phases with the initial focus on a conventionally powered all-wing plane. Any hydrogen-based variant would come in a second step, he told Reuters. The French firm says it has developed hydrogen tanks that save space by avoiding the usual cylindrical shape needed for pressurised vessels and can fit more easily into the flowing contours of the Z4's fuselage. JetZero, whose backers include United Airlines, said in June it was on track to fly a full-scale prototype of the revolutionary 250-passenger airplane in 2027. Sign in to access your portfolio
