Stunning photos of Milky Way dazzle in sensational space snap contest and wow judges
THERE'S some real stars quality in the nightscapes nominated for the annual Milky Way Photographer of the Year.
Photos taken from space, Chile and the US are all in the running for the out-of-this-world picture prize.
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7
Taken from an ice hut on Austria's Dobratsch mountain with a Milky Way backdrop
Credit: UroA� Fink/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG
7
The Perseid Meteor Shower from the Eastern Sierra Nevada
Credit: Mike Abramyan/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG
7
A breath taking panorama of the Milky Way captured over Chile's remote Atacama Cactus Valley, famed for its dense cluster of towering cacti
Credit: Pablo Ruiz/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG
Travel blog Capture The Atlas revealed the sensational photos that have wowed judges at this year's eighth annual competition.
Photographer Uroš Fink, who took a
snap
from an Austrian ice hut, said: 'Undoubtedly my wildest location this winter – Austria's Dobratsch mountain!
'The
sky
was magnificent, with
"In the foreground is the cabin, where I spent three freezing hours waiting for the perfect shot of the Milky Way's core.
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READ MORE WORLD NEWS
"It turned out exactly as I envisioned—a true winter fairytale.'
7
The heavens from Socotra, Yemen
Credit: Benjamin Barakat/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG
7
Guatemala's Volcan de Fuego against the Milky Way's backdrop
Credit: Sergio Montúfar/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG
7
Truly out of this world - the Milky Way from the International Space Station
Credit: Don Pettit/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG
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7
Capturing the Milky Way core from Otago, New Zealand
Credit: Kavan Chay/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG
WHAT IS THE MILKY WAY
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System.
It is a barred spiral galaxy, meaning it has a central bar-shaped structure composed of stars, and spiral arms that extend outward.
Here are some key features:
Galactic Centre
: A densely packed area of stars and other matter, believed to contain a supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A*.
Bulge
: Surrounding the galactic centre, the bulge is a roughly spherical region filled with older stars.
Disk
: This flat, rotating disk contains most of the galaxy's stars, gas, and dust, and includes the spiral arms.
Halo
: An extended, roughly spherical region surrounding the disk, containing older stars and globular clusters.
Spiral Arms
: These are regions of higher density that contain a lot of young stars, gas, and dust.
Our galaxy is about 100,000 light-years in diameter and contains between 100 billion and 400 billion stars. The Sun is located roughly 27,000 light-years from the galactic center, in one of the spiral arms known as the Orion Arm or Orion Spur.
The Milky Way rotates, with stars in the disk orbiting the galactic centre. The speed of rotation varies with distance from the centre.
The Milky Way is part of a group of galaxies known as the Local Group, which also includes the Andromeda Galaxy, the Triangulum Galaxy, and about 54 other smaller galaxies.
From Earth, the Milky Way appears as a milky band of light stretching across the sky, which is the combined light of billions of distant stars that are too faint to be seen individually.
Stunning clip of Milky Way captured in record-breaking detail - scientists say it 'changes view of our galaxy forever'
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The Irish Sun
26-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Stunning photos of Milky Way dazzle in sensational space snap contest and wow judges
THERE'S some real stars quality in the nightscapes nominated for the annual Milky Way Photographer of the Year. Photos taken from space, Chile and the US are all in the running for the out-of-this-world picture prize. Advertisement 7 Taken from an ice hut on Austria's Dobratsch mountain with a Milky Way backdrop Credit: UroA� Fink/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 7 The Perseid Meteor Shower from the Eastern Sierra Nevada Credit: Mike Abramyan/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 7 A breath taking panorama of the Milky Way captured over Chile's remote Atacama Cactus Valley, famed for its dense cluster of towering cacti Credit: Pablo Ruiz/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG Travel blog Capture The Atlas revealed the sensational photos that have wowed judges at this year's eighth annual competition. Photographer Uroš Fink, who took a snap from an Austrian ice hut, said: 'Undoubtedly my wildest location this winter – Austria's Dobratsch mountain! 'The sky was magnificent, with "In the foreground is the cabin, where I spent three freezing hours waiting for the perfect shot of the Milky Way's core. Advertisement READ MORE WORLD NEWS "It turned out exactly as I envisioned—a true winter fairytale.' 7 The heavens from Socotra, Yemen Credit: Benjamin Barakat/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 7 Guatemala's Volcan de Fuego against the Milky Way's backdrop Credit: Sergio Montúfar/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG 7 Truly out of this world - the Milky Way from the International Space Station Credit: Don Pettit/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG Advertisement 7 Capturing the Milky Way core from Otago, New Zealand Credit: Kavan Chay/Milky Way Photographer of the Year/CMG WHAT IS THE MILKY WAY The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System. It is a barred spiral galaxy, meaning it has a central bar-shaped structure composed of stars, and spiral arms that extend outward. Here are some key features: Galactic Centre : A densely packed area of stars and other matter, believed to contain a supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A*. Bulge : Surrounding the galactic centre, the bulge is a roughly spherical region filled with older stars. Disk : This flat, rotating disk contains most of the galaxy's stars, gas, and dust, and includes the spiral arms. Halo : An extended, roughly spherical region surrounding the disk, containing older stars and globular clusters. Spiral Arms : These are regions of higher density that contain a lot of young stars, gas, and dust. Our galaxy is about 100,000 light-years in diameter and contains between 100 billion and 400 billion stars. The Sun is located roughly 27,000 light-years from the galactic center, in one of the spiral arms known as the Orion Arm or Orion Spur. The Milky Way rotates, with stars in the disk orbiting the galactic centre. The speed of rotation varies with distance from the centre. The Milky Way is part of a group of galaxies known as the Local Group, which also includes the Andromeda Galaxy, the Triangulum Galaxy, and about 54 other smaller galaxies. From Earth, the Milky Way appears as a milky band of light stretching across the sky, which is the combined light of billions of distant stars that are too faint to be seen individually. Stunning clip of Milky Way captured in record-breaking detail - scientists say it 'changes view of our galaxy forever'
Irish Independent
21-05-2025
- Irish Independent
Chris Hadfield: ‘Do you think it's a good idea that there are tourists on aeroplanes? It's exactly the same thing with space. It's just brand new'
Retirement hasn't stopped former International Space Station commander Chris Hadfield from shooting for the stars as an author, speaker and mentor The summer of 1969 changed Chris Hadfield's life forever. At almost 10 years old, he watched Neil Armstrong and Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin walk on the moon. The Canadian boy was mesmerised and it set him on his own space mission. As we all know, he went on to accomplish his childhood dream. In his 21 years serving as an astronaut, Hadfield has flown three space missions, helped build two space stations and commanded the International Space Station (ISS). The longest period he was in space for was six months. 'It was very much a little boy's dream coming true my entire life but it was not accidental,' he says. 'It was the direct result of clear vision and purpose, and a relentless desire to improve and change who I was in order to improve my odds.'
RTÉ News
12-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Minister to invite US scholars to flee US system and come to Ireland
Ireland has a unique opportunity to capitalise on attacks by the Trump administration on US universities by becoming "a welcoming host for the best and the brightest" fleeing the US university system, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless has told an Irish Universities Association (IUA) seminar. Mr Lawless said he intended to inform the Government of his formal plans in this regard this week. It is understood that he will bring details to Cabinet tomorrow, including how key individuals from the US and elsewhere can be attracted here. Last month, US President Donald Trump threatened to strip Harvard University of its tax-exempt status after the elite university refused to accept far-reaching policy changes ordered by the White House. The US Department of Education announced in March that it had opened an investigation into 60 colleges and universities for alleged "anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination". The minister said that Ireland could benefit by offering a stable, open environment where world-class researchers can thrive, just as the US had done after World War II. He said that with US faculties now having pledged funding revoked and institutes facing shutdown this had "undoubtedly" changed how people view the US when it comes to research. "It has become a cold place for free thinkers and talented researchers," the minister said. "We all know how that will grind advanced research to a halt. And that is nothing in the face of the human suffering of targeted student arrests and deportations". He said reports of library culls "bring to mind book burnings of old". Addressing the IUA seminar, Mr Lawless said Europe recognised that investment in innovation and cultivation of the best minds is key to economic advantage. The minister cited Éamon de Valera as Taoiseach's success in persuading Erwin Shrodinger to come to Ireland during WWII, and how the Austrian theoretical physicist went on to help establish the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS). The scientist, who was fleeing the Nazis, settled in Ireland and lived and worked here for more than a decade after receiving an invitation to come from Mr de Valera.
