Check out these pictures of the Milky Way

Chances are that you are currently doing control work, bypassing endless TikToks and reels around raging wildfires, house smoking leftovers and other climate problems. And while you’re at it, scroll through these stunning photos of our Milky Way.

Our expanding Milky Way galaxy is a strange place. likes to click Stars from other galaxies In, while in the meantime In mysterious circumstances distorted. In four billion years you will As expected It collides with another galaxy, Andromeda, but until then we can still admire these images.

Choose a travel blog every year capture the atlas Top 25 pictures of the Milky Way, from different countries. May is the peak of the Milky Way season, which runs from February to October in the Northern Hemisphere, and from January to November in the Southern Hemisphere. This year’s best photos come from 12 countries, including Egypt, Slovenia, Australia, Spain, Japan, and the United States.

“Ice Age” by Fen Wu in Tibet

Taken at an altitude of 5,070 meters, this photo shows Pomongkou Lake in Tibet, which completely freezes over in winter. When temperatures drop to minus 20 degrees at night, you can even hear ice cracking. “I was so happy to have the stars with me on this magical night” says the photographer. Alvin Wei In a press release from capture the atlas.

“Lightning in the Milky Way” by Jinji He in Xinjiang, China

This is a view of the Milky Way from the Dahaidao Desert in Xinjiang (China). Strong winds and weather conditions caused separate hills to appear in the area, which have a unique shape yardang (mountain top) Assumptions.

“Secret” by Martin Zajak in the United States

Native Americans carved thousands of years ago rocks in large volcanic rocks. They carved the dark surface of the rock, creating images of animals and geometric designs on the lighter rocks below. “This image is directed skyward, forming a composition of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains and night sky,” he says. zajac.

This arc of the Milky Way stretches over the Low Tatras in Slovakia where temperatures have dropped to minus -14 degrees Celsius this winter. The part of the Milky Way that is visible from Earth in winter is thinner, with fewer visible stars, but there are also objects that are not visible to the naked eye. “These things are fully visible with camera modified astronomy. To capture this, I used a special H-alpha filter,” says Slovinský. The photo shows a small one Slovenský Between Mars and the two open star clusters, the Pleiades and the Hydes.

“The Milky Way Over the Peak” by Trevor Dobson in Australia

This panoramic view of the Milky Way was taken in the Pinnacle Desert, two hours north of Perth in Western Australia, and consisted of 124 (!!!) single frames. “The peaks are a great location for astrophotography,” he says. Dobson. “The area is dotted with thousands of limestone monoliths, making the formation possibilities endless. It is one of the reasons I come back here year after year.”

“House of Lavender” by Benjamin Barakat in France

This photo of the Milky Way was taken last summer in Valensole, France, says the photographer. Benjamin Barakat. “The smell and atmosphere of these lavender fields is unreal, and it’s great to be among them in the middle of the night, especially since the bees are asleep and you’re not in danger of getting stung!”

“The Road to the Past” by Jose Manuel Galvan Rangel from Spain

To get the perfect star shot, astrophotographers often travel to the Spanish region of Extremadura. The area is ideal for star photographers due to the absence of pollution and urban lighting. Photographer Jose Manuel Galvan Rangeley He describes it as a “natural paradise”. “This photo was taken in a remote town in Extremadura called Salvatierra de los Barros,” says Rangel. “In this city, virtually unknown to the rest of the world, you will find a majestic castle that has been under the light of millions of stars since the fifteenth century.”

“Egyptian Nights” by Burak Asenby in Egypt

Five hours west of Cairo lies a white desert with sand dunes and rock formations. “The unique rock formations lead to interesting formations,” he says. Photographer Burak EsenbeWho took this picture during his first visit to Egypt. “The White Desert was our focus here, in a place with a lot of nature and Bortle 1-2 skies,” he adds. The Bortle scale, from 1 to 9, measures the brightness of the night sky. Stars, constellations and other objects appear in it, which makes it very suitable for astrophotography.

“I love nature. I feel free, but at the same time small, when I am outside under a starry sky in calm silence,” says the photographer. Eros Fink. Fink and his friend planned to shoot at Mangart Pass in Slovenia for six months. But as soon as night fell, the sky became overcast. “I took a picture of some meteors shooting up in the sky,” he recalls. “What always excites me about photographing the night sky is that you never know what to expect; there are surprises everywhere. You just have to be in the right place at the right time. In the end, the experience does not disappoint me in any way.”

Mount Fuji and the Milky Way over Lake Kawaguchi by Takemochi Yuki in Japan

Photographer Takemochi Yuki captured this shot in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan at 3 a.m. “This is the only time in the spring you can catch this nighttime view of Mount Fuji and the Milky Way,” says Yuki. “In the winter the road is hard to get to because it is covered in snow. When it gets warmer in the summer, the Milky Way rises to the west and falls from the image. I shot with different exposures to balance the different parts of the scene and all the light.