25 striking photos from the 2023 Milky Way Photographer of the Year contest
Capture The Atlas has published its annual Milky Way Photographer of the Year shortlist.
The 2023 final 25 photos were taken from 16 countries across the world.
From night skies in national parks to remote islands, the selected entrees are certainly striking.
Travel photography blog Capture The Atlas has published the sixth edition of its annual Milky Way Photographer of the Year, and the photos are spectacular.
The collection comprises 25 photos of the Milky Way taken from 16 countries around the world, including the US, Australia, Madagascar, Switzerland, and Japan, according to a press release. The final 25 photos were selected from more than 3,000 applicants, the press release added.
Dan Zafra, editor-in-chief of Capture The Atlas, told Insider that many of the final photos were all taken in unique locations where the Milky Way hadn't been photographed before.
"A few examples are the images from Socotra, a remote island in the Indian Ocean that is vastly unexplored, or the image from Madagascar, where photographer Steffi Lieberman had to photograph with armed guards," Zafra said.
"More locations include a very remote area in Spain called Serrania de Cuenca, where only a few photographers have ventured, and all the original landscapes from Namibia and New Zealand," he added.
Take a look at all the stunning shots below.
Larryn Grae captured airglow in the Southern Alps in New Zealand, according to the Capture The Atlas website.
Source: Capture The Atlas
Brandt Ryder said it was difficult to spot the difference between the sky and earth in this photo he captured at Wind River in Wyoming, USA.
Mitsuhiro Okabe photographed Mount Fuji in Japan during cherry blossom season.
Alexander Forst photographed the Milky Way behind a night train in Graubünden, Switzerland.
Jose D. Riquelme used the Huayhuash mountain range in Peru to frame the striking night sky.
Jakob Sahner captured bursts of color in the sky in La Palma, Spain.
Mihail Minkov took a 360-degree time-blended panorama in Bulgaria to show what it would look like if we could see the two Milky Way arches from the winter and summer side by side.
Roksolyana Hilevych said this photo taken in Tenerife, Spain, marked the "first and only time" they got to witness such a bright meteor.
Pablo Ruiz Gracía photographed the Atacama Desert in Atacama, Chile.
Benjamin Barakat photographed "alien-looking" trees under the night sky in Socotra, Yemen, he wrote on the website.
Lorenzo Ranieri Tenti took this photo of the Spitzkoppe Nature Reserve in Namibia, Africa.
Uroš Fink photographed the Milky Way alongside the approaching sunrise at Mangart Saddle in the Julian Alps, Slovenia.
Peter Hoszang photographed South African quiver trees while in Keetmanshoop, Namibia.
Steffi Lieberman took this landscape panorama of the Milky Way arc over the imposing baobab trees in Madagascar.
Brendan Larsen had to wait until 2:30 a.m. to capture this image of the Milky Way in Taranaki, New Zealand.
Luis Cajete said witnessing the arc of the Milky Way in Cuenca, Spain, was an "absolutely awe-inspiring experience," according to the website.
Isabella Tabacchi took a photo of the Lut desert in Iran under the Milky Way.
Jose Luis Cantabrana Garcia captured the Milky Way over the Pinnacles Desert in Australia.
Gary Bhaztara took a photo of a rock formation that looks like a row of shark teeth on Sumatra Island, Indonesia.
Iván Ferrero took a photo of the Milky Way framing a remote castle in Ávila, Spain.
Tom Rae took this image of an aurora during a Milky Way panorama shoot.
Gonzalo Javier Santile took this photo "as soon as the first stars appeared" in Cafayate Salta, Argentina, he wrote on the website.
Violeta Lazareva photographed dragon blood trees and the Milky Way in Socotra, Yemen.
Marcin Zajac captured limestone towers alongside the night sky at Mono Lake, California.
Burak Esenbey photographed Torres del Paine National Park in Torres del Paine, Chile.
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