This Black Hole Is Spinning So Fast That It Could Turn Space Itself Bryony Richards took this shot of the heart of the Milky Way just before dawn at Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA
The core of the Milky Way, or bulge, is a mixture of old stars, gas and dust.
Further west in Utah, the Milky Way hides outside a stone cave at the Grand Staircase-Escalante monument
'Because of its remoteness, this natural stone chamber offers one of the clearest and most pristine views of the Milky Way,' wrote photographer Spencer Welling in the photo's caption. The deserts of southwestern Utah are perfect for stargazing, as much of the land is protected and little urban light pollutes the night sky.
Tomas Slovinsky took this picture of the famous Southern Cross constellation of the Milky Way hovering over the Villarrica volcano
Tomas Slovinsky used the constellation as a guide to locate the South Celestial Pole, the point in the sky directly above the Earth's southern axis. His photo also captures two important nebulae, clouds of dust and gas in which new stars form. The Coalsack Nebula, located in the constellation Southern Cross, is visible as a dark spot just above the volcano. It is about 590 light years from Earth. In the upper left corner, the Carina Nebula glows pink in the sky. It is located about 8 500 light years from Earth.
Even some of the world's largest waterfalls, such as Iguazu in Brazil, look small compared to the Milky Way.
Photographer Victor Lima had to get special permission to take this picture. He spent four days in Iguazu National Park, where jaguars roam at night. His image captures the Milky Way along one of the park's main waterfalls, the 'Santa Maria jump.' You can spot Saturn just above the waterfall, below the Milky Way's core.
The Ijen volcanic complex in Java, Indonesia, belches out electric blue flames at night. These colours compliment the Milky Way.
'The blue fire burned just below the mountain as the Milky Way continued to rise,' wrote photographer Gary Bhaztara in his caption to the photo.
Photographer José Luis Cantabrana almost gave up capturing this eerie shot in Victoria, Australia.
'I had brought a new piece of equipment with me, a star tracker, and as soon as I started setting it up I knew it was going to be a tricky night,' Cantabrana wrote in his caption.
'After many unsuccessful attempts to line it up with the south celestial pole, I was ready to give up, but decided to take a picture and see what would happen as the galactic core rose,' he added. The result is a shadowy image of the Milky Way looming over the coast.
Further north in Australia, the galaxy forms an ethereal arc over crescent-shaped sand dunes.
Photographer Daniel Thomas Gum left his home in Sydney to take this view of Lake Mongo in New South Wales. The setting was 'otherworldly,' he wrote in his caption.
'Tall jagged walls framed a winding path leading to a west-centred spire,' he said. 'There was only one way to do it justice and that was in the form of a multi-layered Milky Way panorama.'
In New Zealand, photographer Larry Rae climbed for four hours to capture this image on a windy night.
Larryn Rae took this photo from the top of Fanthams Peak, which is part of Mount Taranaki volcano. He had to lug his equipment up to an altitude of almost 2,000 metres, with winds of almost 70 km/hour and temperatures close to -15 degrees Celsius.
Photographer Antonio Solano found more than ideal conditions—clear skies and no wind—in La Palma, Spain.
Antonio Solano took this photo on the last night of his trip to the island. The 'Roque de los Muchachos,' a rocky mound at the highest point of the island, is at the base of the Milky Way.
The winter months are not normally ideal for observing the Milky Way, but the freezing temperatures did not stop Pablo Ruiz.
The best time to observe the Milky Way is usually in May and June. However, the galaxy can still be observed in the northern hemisphere from February to October, and in the southern hemisphere from January to November.
