International Award Winning Earth + Sky Photos
An International Earth and Sky Photo Contest was conducted by The World at Night (TWAN), an organization dedicated to night sky photography. The winning photographs showcase the beauty of the nightly display over our planet, and reveal the ever-encroaching danger of light pollution, which blots out stars and planets. Because of light pollution, as much as two-thirds of the world's people can no longer see the Milky Way, the cloudy swath of stars that indicates the arc of our galaxy, according to some NASA estimates. The two categories for contest photos were Against the Lights, for photos that reflect light pollution troubles, and Beauty of the Night Sky, for photos that highlight truly dark-sky views.
Here are the award winning photographs……
Alps at Night by Thomas Kurat. First prize in the Against the Light category. The starry sky above this misty Alpine landscape, centered around light-invaded Lake Traunsee in Austria, shows the fight between increasing light pollution and the natural dark skies.
A Starry Night in Iceland by Stephane Vetter. First prize in the Beauty of the Night Sky category. The arch of the aurora shines over jokulsarlon the largest glacier lake in Iceland. The Milky Way is framed by the dancing ring of the northern lights, or aurora borealis.
Isfahan Milky Way by Mehdi Momenzadeh. Second-place winner in the Against the Lights category. The arc of the Milky Way rises above central Iran, and it is faded away in the northeast by the lights of the historic city of Isfahan.
Galatic View From Planet Earth by Alex Cherney. The 2nd winner in the Beauty of the Night Sky category in the 2011 International Earth and Sky Photo Contest. The central bulge of the galaxy -- the brightest region in the band of the Milky Way -- is captured on a starry night in Australia.
Lisbon Sky Lights by Miguel Claro. Third place in the Against the Lights category. Stars and the crescent moon trail toward the western horizon above the 25 April Bridge (Ponte 25 de Abril) in Lisbon, Portugal. Jet trails from airplanes flying to or from the Lisbon airport crisscross the moontrail.
Beauty of Sourthern Sky by Luc Perrot. Third place in Beauty of the Night Sky category. The band of the Milky Way arcs above Piton de la Fournaise (Peak of the Furnace), a very active volcano on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.
Venus Above Reunion Island by Luc Perrot. Fourth place in the Against the Lights category. The dazzling light of Venus is captured in this panoramic mountain view from a national park on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Mars is visible to the lower right of brighter Venus, and bright stars Alpha and Beta Centauri are to the top left. The colorful glows in the fog are from the lights of small villages hidden in the valley.
The Great Wall at Night by Xiaohua. Fourth place in the Beauty of the Night Sky category in the 2011 International Earth and Sky Photo Contest.
Lights From the Hidden City by Ben Canales. Fifth place in the Against the Lights category. Light pollution reflects in winter cloud cover. The source of the apocalyptic glow is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) away -- the city of Portland, Oregon.
Startrails above an Alien Lake by Grant Kaye. Fifth place in the Beauty of the Night Sky category in the 2011 International Earth and Sky Photo Contest. Stars trails move around the north celestial pole, photographed from the shore of Mono Lake in California.
Here are the award winning photographs……
Alps at Night by Thomas Kurat. First prize in the Against the Light category. The starry sky above this misty Alpine landscape, centered around light-invaded Lake Traunsee in Austria, shows the fight between increasing light pollution and the natural dark skies.
A Starry Night in Iceland by Stephane Vetter. First prize in the Beauty of the Night Sky category. The arch of the aurora shines over jokulsarlon the largest glacier lake in Iceland. The Milky Way is framed by the dancing ring of the northern lights, or aurora borealis.
Isfahan Milky Way by Mehdi Momenzadeh. Second-place winner in the Against the Lights category. The arc of the Milky Way rises above central Iran, and it is faded away in the northeast by the lights of the historic city of Isfahan.
Galatic View From Planet Earth by Alex Cherney. The 2nd winner in the Beauty of the Night Sky category in the 2011 International Earth and Sky Photo Contest. The central bulge of the galaxy -- the brightest region in the band of the Milky Way -- is captured on a starry night in Australia.
Lisbon Sky Lights by Miguel Claro. Third place in the Against the Lights category. Stars and the crescent moon trail toward the western horizon above the 25 April Bridge (Ponte 25 de Abril) in Lisbon, Portugal. Jet trails from airplanes flying to or from the Lisbon airport crisscross the moontrail.
Beauty of Sourthern Sky by Luc Perrot. Third place in Beauty of the Night Sky category. The band of the Milky Way arcs above Piton de la Fournaise (Peak of the Furnace), a very active volcano on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.
Venus Above Reunion Island by Luc Perrot. Fourth place in the Against the Lights category. The dazzling light of Venus is captured in this panoramic mountain view from a national park on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Mars is visible to the lower right of brighter Venus, and bright stars Alpha and Beta Centauri are to the top left. The colorful glows in the fog are from the lights of small villages hidden in the valley.
The Great Wall at Night by Xiaohua. Fourth place in the Beauty of the Night Sky category in the 2011 International Earth and Sky Photo Contest.
Lights From the Hidden City by Ben Canales. Fifth place in the Against the Lights category. Light pollution reflects in winter cloud cover. The source of the apocalyptic glow is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) away -- the city of Portland, Oregon.
Startrails above an Alien Lake by Grant Kaye. Fifth place in the Beauty of the Night Sky category in the 2011 International Earth and Sky Photo Contest. Stars trails move around the north celestial pole, photographed from the shore of Mono Lake in California.
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