Stunning photos of Milky Way dazzle in sensational space snap contest and wow judges
THERE'S some real stars quality in the nightscapes nominated for the annual Milky Way Photographer of the Year.
Photos taken from space, Chile and the US are all in the running for the out-of-this-world picture prize.
7
7
7
Travel blog Capture The Atlas revealed the sensational photos that have wowed judges at this year's eighth annual competition.
Photographer Uroš Fink, who took a snap from an Austrian ice hut, said: 'Undoubtedly my wildest location this winter – Austria's Dobratsch mountain!
'The sky was magnificent, with Jupiter and Mars shining brightly.
"In the foreground is the cabin, where I spent three freezing hours waiting for the perfect shot of the Milky Way 's core.
"It turned out exactly as I envisioned—a true winter fairytale.'
7
7
7
WHAT IS THE MILKY WAY
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System.
It is a barred spiral galaxy, meaning it has a central bar-shaped structure composed of stars, and spiral arms that extend outward.
Here are some key features:
Galactic Centre: A densely packed area of stars and other matter, believed to contain a supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A*.
Bulge: Surrounding the galactic centre, the bulge is a roughly spherical region filled with older stars.
Disk: This flat, rotating disk contains most of the galaxy's stars, gas, and dust, and includes the spiral arms.
Halo: An extended, roughly spherical region surrounding the disk, containing older stars and globular clusters.
Spiral Arms: These are regions of higher density that contain a lot of young stars, gas, and dust.
Our galaxy is about 100,000 light-years in diameter and contains between 100 billion and 400 billion stars. The Sun is located roughly 27,000 light-years from the galactic center, in one of the spiral arms known as the Orion Arm or Orion Spur.
The Milky Way rotates, with stars in the disk orbiting the galactic centre. The speed of rotation varies with distance from the centre.
The Milky Way is part of a group of galaxies known as the Local Group, which also includes the Andromeda Galaxy, the Triangulum Galaxy, and about 54 other smaller galaxies.
From Earth, the Milky Way appears as a milky band of light stretching across the sky, which is the combined light of billions of distant stars that are too faint to be seen individually.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The iconic landmarks set to be wiped out by The Big One... as experts raise earthquake threat level
The Hollywood sign and the Golden Gate Bridge are among the iconic landmarks set to be wiped out by a huge earthquake when 'The Big One' hits California, experts warn. The devastating seismic event is guaranteed to happen according to scientists, who are increasingly sure it will occur in the next three decades.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Alzheimer's blood test can spot people with early symptoms, study suggests
A new blood test for Alzheimer's disease can accurately detect people with early symptoms, research suggests. Experts from the Mayo Clinic in the US have provided further evidence that blood tests can work to accurately diagnose dementia by examining two proteins in blood plasma. The proteins – amyloid beta 42/40 and p-tau217 – are associated with amyloid plaque buildup, which is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found the blood test was highly accurate, with 95% sensitivity, which means it was 95% accurate in picking up people with memory problems, with very few cases missed. It was also 82% for specificity, which means it was also highly accurate in ruling out people without dementia. The study was carried out on more than 500 people in an outpatient memory clinic, meaning it is real-world data. The blood test has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration regulator in the US. Dr Gregg Day, who led the study in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia, said the test was as good as more invasive tests in use. 'Our study found that blood testing affirmed the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease with 95% sensitivity and 82% specificity,' he said. 'When performed in the outpatient clinical setting, this is similar to the accuracy of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of the disease and is much more convenient and cost-effective.' Overall, researchers found that p-tau217 levels were higher in patients with Alzheimer's disease versus those without the disease. Day said the next steps in the research were to evaluate blood-based testing in more diverse patient populations and people with early Alzheimer's who showed no cognitive symptoms. Dr Richard Oakley, associate director for research and innovation at the Alzheimer's Society in the UK, said the results 'suggest this test is very accurate' and could be used alongside other tests and observations from a trained health professional. 'This study shows how blood tests are making diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease quicker, easier and more accessible than ever before in a real-world setting,' he added. 'While focused on Alzheimer's disease, the test was evaluated in people with other types of dementias too, showing that it may help with differentiate causes of cognitive decline, though more research in diverse groups of individuals and in community-based setting is still needed. 'Currently diagnosis options in the UK are often slow, expensive and can be invasive, meaning thousands miss out on the benefits one can bring. 'It's great to see blood tests like this approved for clinical use in the US. We hope to see the same in the NHS, which is why we're part of the Blood Biomarker Challenge.' The Blood Biomarker Challenge is a multimillion-pound research programme supported by the Alzheimer's Society, Alzheimer's Research UK and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. Its goal is to bring blood tests for dementia diagnosis to the National Health Service by 2029. Oakley said: 'Blood tests will be critical to accelerate diagnosis and give more people access to the care, support and treatments they desperately need faster than ever before. 'We must see long-term investment in the tools and workforce needed to ensure everyone living with dementia can get an early an accurate diagnosis, which is even more important with disease-modifying treatments on the horizon.' Dr Julia Dudley, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said: 'We urgently need to improve how we diagnose dementia and it's great to see international research working towards this goal. 'Blood tests in this study look at p-tau217 and amyloid beta 42/40 and showed the tests offered high accuracy in confirming Alzheimer's disease. 'This study adds to the growing evidence that blood tests can detect the diseases that cause dementia in people with early memory and thinking problems. 'An important point to consider is that people taking part in research don't always reflect the full diversity of those affected by dementia, who might have additional conditions or other characteristics. 'That is why work is needed to understand whether these blood tests work in a real-world setting. 'In the UK, studies like the Blood Biomarker Challenge are helping to build this evidence. The study is testing blood tests, including p-tau217, in thousands of people from sites across the UK. 'This work will be a crucial part of making diagnosis easier and faster, which will bring us closer to a cure.'
Sky News
7 hours ago
- Sky News
Blood test for Alzheimer's disease is highly accurate, researchers say
Researchers say a new blood test for Alzheimer's disease has been shown to be highly accurate in detecting people with early symptoms. Scientists looked for two proteins - amyloid beta 42/40 and p-tau217 - and found the test was 95% accurate in identifying patients with existing cognitive impairment linked to the condition. The US study involved 509 patients in an outpatient memory clinic in Florida and was published in the medical journal Alzheimer's and Dementia. The test, which has already been approved by the US regulator, was also 82% accurate for specificity, which means it could rule out people without dementia. Dr Gregg Day, who led the study, said the test was as good as existing, but more invasive, tests. He said the next step was to extend the test to a wider range of patients, including those with early Alzheimer's who do not have any cognitive symptoms. Scientists say the two proteins, which they have identified in blood plasma, are associated with the buildup of amyloid plaques. Amyloid protein can be found in our brains, but in Alzheimer's disease, amyloid sticks together and forms abnormal deposits, which are thought to be toxic to brain cells. Dr Richard Oakley, associate director for research and innovation at the Alzheimer's Society in the UK, said the results "suggest this test is very accurate". "Blood tests will be critical to accelerate diagnosis and give more people access to the care, support and treatments they desperately need faster than ever before," he added. In the UK, the Blood Biomarker Challenge is a multi-million-pound research programme supported by the Alzheimer's Society, Alzheimer's Research UK and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. 1:09 Its goal is to bring blood tests for dementia diagnosis to the NHS by 2029. Dr Julia Dudley, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "We urgently need to improve how we diagnose dementia and it's great to see international research working towards this goal." She said the studies like the Blood Biomarker Challenge are a "crucial part of making diagnosis easier and faster, which will bring us closer to a cure". "The study is testing blood tests, including p-tau217, in thousands of people from sites across the UK," she added.
