Latest news with #MilkyWayPhotographeroftheYear
The Irish Sun
26-05-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
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. Advertisement 7 Taken from an ice hut on Austria's Dobratsch mountain with a Milky Way backdrop Credit: UroA� Fink/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 7 The Perseid Meteor Shower from the Eastern Sierra Nevada Credit: Mike Abramyan/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 7 A breath taking panorama of the Milky Way captured over Chile's remote Atacama Cactus Valley, famed for its dense cluster of towering cacti Credit: Pablo Ruiz/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 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 "In the foreground is the cabin, where I spent three freezing hours waiting for the perfect shot of the Milky Way's core. Advertisement READ MORE WORLD NEWS "It turned out exactly as I envisioned—a true winter fairytale.' 7 The heavens from Socotra, Yemen Credit: Benjamin Barakat/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 7 Guatemala's Volcan de Fuego against the Milky Way's backdrop Credit: Sergio Montúfar/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 7 Truly out of this world - the Milky Way from the International Space Station Credit: Don Pettit/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG Advertisement 7 Capturing the Milky Way core from Otago, New Zealand Credit: Kavan Chay/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 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. Stunning clip of Milky Way captured in record-breaking detail - scientists say it 'changes view of our galaxy forever'
Scottish Sun
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Stunning photos of Milky Way dazzle in sensational space snap contest and wow judges
See some of the sensational photos that have wowed judges at this year's annual competition OUT OF THIS WORLD OUT OF THIS WORLD Stunning photos of Milky Way dazzle in sensational space snap contest and wow judges Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) 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. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Taken from an ice hut on Austria's Dobratsch mountain with a Milky Way backdrop Credit: UroA� Fink/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 7 The Perseid Meteor Shower from the Eastern Sierra Nevada Credit: Mike Abramyan/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 7 A breath taking panorama of the Milky Way captured over Chile's remote Atacama Cactus Valley, famed for its dense cluster of towering cacti Credit: Pablo Ruiz/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 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. READ MORE WORLD NEWS STORM COMING British missiles could soon be used by Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia "It turned out exactly as I envisioned—a true winter fairytale.' 7 The heavens from Socotra, Yemen Credit: Benjamin Barakat/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 7 Guatemala's Volcan de Fuego against the Milky Way's backdrop Credit: Sergio Montúfar/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 7 Truly out of this world - the Milky Way from the International Space Station Credit: Don Pettit/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 7 Capturing the Milky Way core from Otago, New Zealand Credit: Kavan Chay/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 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*. : 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. : 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. : 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. : 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.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
See the stunning winners of the 2025 Milky Way Photographer of the Year contest
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The honorees for the 2025 Milky Way Photographer of the Year contest are in, and they're stunning. Created in 2018 by photographer Dan Zafra, the contest showcases shots of the Milky Way taken from around the globe, highlighting gorgeous landscapes on Earth laid out under the twinkling night sky. This year's winners include shots from places as diverse as Namibia, the Himalayas, New Zealand and Yemen. There's even a photo taken from space. Photographer: Xingyang Cai Location: Big Sur, California This photograph, titled "Starlit Ocean: A Comet, the setting Venus, the Milky Way, and McWay Falls," was taken during the approach of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) in fall 2024. The comet streaks above the Pacific and a setting Venus at McWay Falls in Big Sur. Photographer: Sergio Montúfar Location: Acatenango volcano, Guatemala Photographer Sergio Montúfar captured this stunning image of two types of fire in the sky at Acatenango volcano in Guatemala in June 2024. "Above, the Milky Way stretched diagonally across the sky, a mesmerizing band of stars contrasting with the chaos below," Montúfar wrote in his description of the photograph. "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." Montúfar used a wide-angle lens (f/2.8), an ISO of 3200, and a 10-second exposure to capture the light of the Milky Way and the light of the volcano at the same time. Photographer: Ethan Su Location: Hehuan Mountain Dark Sky Park, Taiwan An explosion of alpine rhododendrons provides a stunning foreground to this view of the Milky Way from Mount Hehuan in central Taiwan. A solar flare from the sunspot AR3664 added a slight airglow to the scene, while clouds blocked light pollution from distant urban areas. Photographer: Don Pettit Location: Earth orbit Astronaut Don Pettit captured this image of Earth against the Milky Way from the Cupola of the International Space Station. City lights seem to mirror the jewel-like glow of the galaxy in the background of the image. "There are over eight billion people that call this planet home," Pettit wrote. "There are seven of us that can say the same for [the] Space Station. What a privilege it is to be here." Related: May's best stargazing week has begun. How to see a lion, an upside-down bear, a mini 'planet parade' — and more. Photographer: Benjamin Barakat Location: Socotra, Yemen Four years of scouting Socotra, a Yemeni island in the Indian Ocean, led photographer Benjamin Barakat to this grove of bottle trees (Dendrosicyos socotranus), a species that's unique to the island. These trees' thick trunks allow them to store water to survive Socotra's dry climate. The Milky Way decorates this one-in-a-galaxy site like a bangle of jewels. Photographer: Tanay Das Location: Zanskar, Himalayas Celestial fire and Earthly ice meet in this shot taken at Lake RT5, which sits 18,700 feet (5,700 meters) high in the Himalayas. Photographer Tanay Das camped by this lake to capture this shot of the Milky Way. "I was in awe of the incredible airglow illuminating the Himalayan skies," Das wrote. "The raw image had even more intense colors, but I toned them down to stay true to reality. This was undoubtedly one of the most unforgettable nights I've ever spent in the heart of the Himalayas." Photographer: Max Inwood Location: Lake Tekapo, New Zealand Lupines bloom on New Zealand's South Island in a purple feast for the eyes. The dark skies of New Zealand's Mackenzie Basin — along with a lot of patience — enabled this shot. "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," photographer Max Inwood wrote. "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." Photographer: Burak Esenbey Location: Karas region, Namibia The Milky Way slashes across the sky behind cacti and two quiver trees (Aloidendron dichotomum) in Namibia. This was photographer Burak Esenbey's second photography trip to the area, and he found this spot on a location-scouting excursion. "Getting everything in focus was a bit challenging, as I had to get extremely close to the cactus without getting poked," he wrote in his description of the image. Photographer: Mike Abramyan Location: Alabama Hills, California Photographer Mike Abramyan wanted to photograph the Perseid meteor shower from the Canadian Rockies, but wildfires drove him westward and southward to California's Eastern Sierra, where he captured this stunning image of the Milky Way superimposed with each meteor he photographed — as if they'd all streaked across the sky at the same time. RELATED STORIES —35 jaw-dropping James Webb Space Telescope images —32 stunning photos of auroras seen from space —'Blood moon' total lunar eclipse: Stunning photos of our celestial neighbor turning red over the Americas Photographer: Alejandra Heis Location: Jujuy, Argentina Photographer Alejandra Heis took this photograph while traveling across Argentina's iconic locations. The salt flats of Salinas Grandes in northern Argentina begged for a nighttime photoshoot, despite the challenges of camping on desiccated salt flats at an elevation of nearly 17,000 feet (5,200 m). "I believe I haven't truly experienced a place until I see it at night," Heis wrote. "Nighttime feels more intimate, mysterious, and adventurous — a moment when the senses sharpen and you connect with your surroundings in a deeper way."
