10 winners of a Milky Way photo contest show our galaxy lighting up the sky

Aria BendixMay 27, 2021, 19:02 IST

A close-up look at the Milky Way from a telescope.NASA/JPL-Caltech

On a clear night, the Milky Way forms a brilliant, multicolored arch in the sky.
Capture the Atlas' "Milky Way Photographer of the Year" winners caught this spectacle on camera.

You don't need a telescope to see the Milky Way, but our galaxy isn't always visible in the night sky.

Photographers usually have to wait for the perfect moment - before sunrise, when the moon has set - to catch the starry spectacle. The sky must also be free of light pollution from city buildings or satellites.

But in the right conditions, the galaxy arches across the sky in a multicolored band that can seem like a rainbow's nocturnal cousin.

The travel photography blog Capture the Atlas recently highlighted 25 images that represent this phenomenon as part of its "Milky Way Photographer of the Year" contest. Though the southern hemisphere usually has the best vantage points, the photos were snapped in 12 different countries, including the US and Spain.

The contest doesn't have one overall winner, so here are 10 of the most stunning images from the bunch.

Photographer Bryony Richards snapped this shot of the Milky Way's core just before dawn at the Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.

Bryony Richards/Capture the Atlas

Further west in Utah, the Milky Way lurks outside a stone cavern at the Grand Staircase-Escalante monument.

Spencer Welling/Capture the Atlas

The Milky Way's famous Southern Cross constellation hovers above the Villarrica Volcano in Chile in this image from photographer Tomas Slovinsky.

Tomas Slovinsky/Capture the Atlas

Even some of the world's largest waterfalls, like Brazil's Iguazu Falls, appear small relative to a Milky Way backdrop.

Victor Lima/Capture the Atlas

The Ijen volcano complex in Java, Indonesia spews electric-blue flames at night - a result of sulfur combusting when it comes in contact with air. The colors are a striking compliment to the Milky Way.

Gary Bhaztara/Capture the Atlas

The Ijen volcano complex in Java, Indonesia spews electric-blue flames at night - a result of sulfur combusting when it comes in contact with air. The colors are a striking compliment to the Milky Way.

Photographer José Luis Cantabrana almost gave up on capturing this eerie shot in Victoria, Australia.

Jose Luis Cantabrana/Capture the Atlas

Farther north in Australia, the galaxy forms an ethereal arch over crescent-shaped sand dunes.

Daniel Thomas Gum/Capture the Atlas

In New Zealand, photographer Larryn Rae climbed for 4 hours to capture this image on a windy night.

Larryn Rae/Capture the Atlas

Photographer Antonio Solano encountered more ideal conditions - clear skies and no wind - in La Palma, Spain.

Antonio Solano/Capture the Atlas

Winter months normally aren't ideal for spotting the Milky Way, but freezing temperatures didn't stop Pablo Ruiz from snapping this picture in Riaño, Spain.

Pablo Ruiz/Capture the Atlas

Dramatic photos from around the world show the 'super blood moon' large and red in the sky

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10 winners of a Milky Way photo contest show our galaxy lighting up the sky

Photographer Bryony Richards snapped this shot of the Milky Way's core just before dawn at the Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.

Further west in Utah, the Milky Way lurks outside a stone cavern at the Grand Staircase-Escalante monument.

The Milky Way's famous Southern Cross constellation hovers above the Villarrica Volcano in Chile in this image from photographer Tomas Slovinsky.

Even some of the world's largest waterfalls, like Brazil's Iguazu Falls, appear small relative to a Milky Way backdrop.

The Ijen volcano complex in Java, Indonesia spews electric-blue flames at night - a result of sulfur combusting when it comes in contact with air. The colors are a striking compliment to the Milky Way.

Photographer José Luis Cantabrana almost gave up on capturing this eerie shot in Victoria, Australia.

Farther north in Australia, the galaxy forms an ethereal arch over crescent-shaped sand dunes.

In New Zealand, photographer Larryn Rae climbed for 4 hours to capture this image on a windy night.

Photographer Antonio Solano encountered more ideal conditions - clear skies and no wind - in La Palma, Spain.

Winter months normally aren't ideal for spotting the Milky Way, but freezing temperatures didn't stop Pablo Ruiz from snapping this picture in Riaño, Spain.