the milky way , that spiral galaxy we call home, inspires all who turn their eyes towards it with its changing and fascinating skies. Yes indeed; there are those who, not content with mere observation, decide to freeze the moment forever in his camera lens, giving us images as spectacular as unrepeatable.
It is the case of 25 photographers of up to 14 nationalities awarded this year by the annual contest Milky Way Photographer of the Year, powered by photography and travel blog Capture the Atlas. Thanks to them, we can enjoy unique nighttime moments in the skies of Spain, Chile, Argentina, France, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Egypt, Slovenia and Slovakia. Among them, there are enclaves in which the Milky Way had never before been photographed, such as the Xinjiang desert.
“The quality of the image, the story behind the shot, and in general, the ability to inspire of the photographs are the main factors to select the images each year”, assures the editor of the website, Dan Zafra, who ue this year celebrates the fifth edition of these awards with the participation of both amateurs and renowned photographers.
Image taken in the desert of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Among our favorite astronomical snapshots this year is IceAge, by Alvin Wu, which opens this article. It is taken in Pumoungcuo frozen lake (Tibet, China), at an altitude of 5,070 meters. “At night, the temperature drops below -20°C, and you can hear the sound of ice breaking while capturing a beautiful winter sky. The blue ice surface and the dazzling constellation of orion they create a fantasy landscape”, assures its author.
Next, we collect a selection of essential photos of this 2022 edition and the stories that its authors make about them:
“The area known as the Pyramid' (where I took this photo) is located just before climbing a 4,600 meter high mountain to reach the Laguna Grande, where there are geysers and a lagoon full of pink flamingos that arrive during the season year after year”, recalls Gonzalo Javier Santile about this image taken during 'the blue hour' in the small Argentine town of vinchina.
“When our expedition was ending, this was the last stop, and the unplanned moment with the galactic center in the middle of the cave frame was just a dream. Nevertheless, capturing this image was not easy, since I had to climb one of the sides of the cave and illuminate the scene very carefully with my headlamp”, recalls Cari Letelier about this panorama taken in San Pedro de Atacama, in Chile.
In the remote town of Salvatierra de los Barros is this imposing privately owned castle that has been standing, under the light of the stars, since the fifteenth century. Thanks to the exceptional quality of the skies of Estremadura -which has several starlight reservations -, the photographer José Manuel Galván Rangel was able to capture this overwhelming image.
If by day the lavender fields make up a spectacular landscape, under the milky lights they represent an image of another world, a much more dreamlike and heavenly one. “I captured this image of the Milky Way last summer in Valensole, France. The smell and atmosphere of these lavender fields are unreal, and being among them in the middle of the night is wonderful, especially since the bees have gone to sleep and there is no risk of being stung!”, recalls Benjamin Brakat .
"Though the winter Milky Way is much fainter than the summer Milky Way, It is full of lovely features that also deserve attention”, explains Tomáš Slovinský about this snapshot taken in Slovakia. In it, the arc of our galaxy extends over the Low Tatra Mountains, where temperatures dropped below -14°C that night. "On the subject (I), there is a bright cone of zodiacal light pointing to a precious conjunction at that time: the Red Planet, Mars, right between two open star clusters, the Pleiades and the Hyades.”
A coastal cave in Tenerife is the protagonist of this photo that Efrén Yanes had been trying to capture for some time: “The first step was plan the visibility of the Milky Way and see if it was possible see the galactic center from inside the cave. I made two attempts, but both were unsuccessful, since, to enter the cave, the tide must be low and the sea conditions must be perfect" he says.
“Finally, all the conditions aligned and I was able to take the photo, adding me as a human figure to give a sense of scale . I was lucky, as this is one of the few coastal places in Tenerife where there is hardly any light pollution”.
"Conditions were difficult" Rubén Vela tells about this photo taken in the Picos de Europa. “To get to the spot, I first walked the trail without my backpack, as even with snowshoes, I was sinking knee-deep in snow. Once there, everything makes sense: the winter Milky Way, the mountains, the snow, the loneliness... And as a gift, a shooting star crossed my lens while capturing this panorama.”