Colorful Milky Way Twinkles Over Acid Water in Stunning Night-Sky Photo

News
By published

A mosaic of the bright Milky Way mixed with airglow and clouds above São Domingos Mine, at the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve in Mértola, Portugal. (Image credit: Miguel Claro)

Miguel Claro is a professional photographer, author and science communicator based in Lisbon, Portugal, who creates spectacular images of the night sky. As a European Southern Observatory photo ambassador, a member of The World At Night and the official astrophotographer of the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, he specializes in astronomical skyscapes that connect Earth and the night sky. Join Miguel here as he takes us through his photograph "Bright Milky Way Mixed with Airglow and Clouds Above Mina de São Domingos."

A colorful mosaic of the Milky Way shows the dusty galactic core glowing over a puddle of acid water at São Domingos Mine in southeast Portugal.

Shining against the galactic core above the constellation Scorpius is the planet Saturn. The faint planet is visible just above a slender, orange cloud and to the right of the galactic core. In the opposite direction, setting behind a layer of wispy, orange clouds, is the bright star Arcturus. Down on the horizon, a layer of green airglow is also mixed with a starry sky. 

In the top-right corner of the image, a pink and red cloud of the North America Nebula (NGC 7000) is visible near the bright star Deneb, forming a perfect triangle with the blue star Vega (top center) and the bright star Altair (left center). These three stars form an asterism known as the Summer Triangle. 

Editor's note: If you captured an amazing astronomy photo and would like to share it with Space.com for a story or gallery, send images and comments to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com. 

To see more of Claro's amazing astrophotography, visit his website, www.miguelclaro.com. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

Miguel Claro
Miguel Claro

Miguel Claro is a professional photographer, author and science communicator based in Lisbon, Portugal, who creates spectacular images of the night sky. As a European Southern Observatory photo ambassador, a member of The World At Night and the official astrophotographer of the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, he specializes in astronomical skyscapes that connect Earth and the night sky.