{"id":1923331,"date":"2026-05-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1923331"},"modified":"2026-05-07T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T21:00:00","slug":"explore-25-incredible-photos-of-the-milky-way-captured-around-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1923331","title":{"rendered":"Explore 25 Incredible Photos of the Milky Way Captured Around the World"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-8.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a stunning photo of the vibrant milky way in a star studded sky\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Owain Scullion, \u201cAoraki Mt. Cook.\u201d Aoraki\/Mt. Cook National Park, New Zealand. All images \u00a9 the photographers, courtesy of Capture the Atlas, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">Explore 25 Incredible Photos of the Milky Way Captured Around the World<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-05-07T15:05:11-05:00\">May 7, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-nature\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/nature\/\" rel=\"tag\">Nature<\/a><a class=\"category-photography\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/photography\/\" rel=\"tag\">Photography<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/kmothes\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Kate Mothes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F05%2Fmilky-way-photographer-of-the-year-contest-2026%2F&amp;title=Explore%2025%20Incredible%20Photos%20of%20the%20Milky%20Way%20Captured%20Around%20the%20World\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"473818\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Organized by Capture the Atlas, the 2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/capturetheatlas.com\/milky-way-photographer-of-the-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Milky Way Photographer of the Year<\/a> saw a record number of submissions, with more than 6,500 entries representing a wide range of landscapes and perspectives around the world. Just 25 were selected as the top images, representing 12 different regions from the Canary Islands to New Zealand to Argentina.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery year, this collection reminds us that photographing the Milky Way is not only about technique or planning. It is about curiosity, patience, and the desire to experience the night sky in places where it still feels wild,\u201d says Dan Zafra, editor of Capture the Atlas and curator of the annual contest. \u201cMany of these skies are becoming increasingly rare, and we hope these images inspire people not only to admire them, but also to value and protect them.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-3.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473818\" title=\"Brendan Larsen, \u201cMilky Way over Syme Hut and Mt. Taranaki.\u201d Syme Hut, Mt Taranaki, New Zealand\u200b\" data-rl_title=\"Brendan Larsen, \u201cMilky Way over Syme Hut and Mt. Taranaki.\u201d Syme Hut, Mt Taranaki, New Zealand\u200b\" data-rl_caption=\"Brendan Larsen, \u201cMilky Way over Syme Hut and Mt. Taranaki.\u201d Syme Hut, Mt Taranaki, New Zealand\u200b\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2161\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-3.jpg\" alt=\"a stunning photo of the vibrant milky way in a star studded sky\" class=\"wp-image-473823\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brendan Larsen, \u201cMilky Way over Syme Hut and Mt. Taranaki.\u201d Syme Hut, Mt Taranaki, New Zealand\u200b<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-7.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473818\" title=\"Max Terwindt, \u201cCaldera Galaxy Panorama.\u201d La Palma, Canary Islands\" data-rl_title=\"Max Terwindt, \u201cCaldera Galaxy Panorama.\u201d La Palma, Canary Islands\" data-rl_caption=\"Max Terwindt, \u201cCaldera Galaxy Panorama.\u201d La Palma, Canary Islands\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1922\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-7.jpg\" alt=\"a stunning photo of the vibrant milky way in a star studded sky\" class=\"wp-image-473827\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Max Terwindt, \u201cCaldera Galaxy Panorama.\u201d La Palma, Canary Islands<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-6.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473818\" title=\"Lukasz Remkowicz, \u201cMilky Way over the Tatra Mountains.\u201d Jurg\u00f3w, Poland\" data-rl_title=\"Lukasz Remkowicz, \u201cMilky Way over the Tatra Mountains.\u201d Jurg\u00f3w, Poland\" data-rl_caption=\"Lukasz Remkowicz, \u201cMilky Way over the Tatra Mountains.\u201d Jurg\u00f3w, Poland\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"971\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-6.jpg\" alt=\"a stunning photo of the vibrant milky way in a star studded sky\" class=\"wp-image-473826\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lukasz Remkowicz, \u201cMilky Way over the Tatra Mountains.\u201d Jurg\u00f3w, Poland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-5.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473818\" title=\"Leonel Padron, \u201cLost in the Ripples of Space and Time.\u201d Pinnacles Desert, Nambung, Western Australia\" data-rl_title=\"Leonel Padron, \u201cLost in the Ripples of Space and Time.\u201d Pinnacles Desert, Nambung, Western Australia\" data-rl_caption=\"Leonel Padron, \u201cLost in the Ripples of Space and Time.\u201d Pinnacles Desert, Nambung, Western Australia\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1494\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-5.jpg\" alt=\"a stunning photo of the vibrant milky way in a star studded sky\" class=\"wp-image-473825\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Leonel Padron, \u201cLost in the Ripples of Space and Time.\u201d Pinnacles Desert, Nambung, Western Australia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-1.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473818\" title=\"Anastasia Gulova, \u201cGalaxy on the Rise.\u201d Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain\" data-rl_title=\"Anastasia Gulova, \u201cGalaxy on the Rise.\u201d Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain\" data-rl_caption=\"Anastasia Gulova, \u201cGalaxy on the Rise.\u201d Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1548\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-1.jpg\" alt=\"a stunning photo of the vibrant milky way in a star studded sky\" class=\"wp-image-473821\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Anastasia Gulova, \u201cGalaxy on the Rise.\u201d Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-4.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473818\" title=\"Daniel Vi\u00f1\u00e9 Garcia, \u201cMy Perfect Night.\u201d Catamarca, Argentina\" data-rl_title=\"Daniel Vi\u00f1\u00e9 Garcia, \u201cMy Perfect Night.\u201d Catamarca, Argentina\" data-rl_caption=\"Daniel Vi\u00f1\u00e9 Garcia, \u201cMy Perfect Night.\u201d Catamarca, Argentina\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1908\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-4.jpeg\" alt=\"a stunning photo of the vibrant milky way in a star studded sky\" class=\"wp-image-473824\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Daniel Vi\u00f1\u00e9 Garcia, \u201cMy Perfect Night.\u201d Catamarca, Argentina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-2.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473818\" title=\"Anthony Lopez, \u201cCelestial Light over Sea Cliffs.\u201d Saint Rapha\u00ebl, French Riviera\" data-rl_title=\"Anthony Lopez, \u201cCelestial Light over Sea Cliffs.\u201d Saint Rapha\u00ebl, French Riviera\" data-rl_caption=\"Anthony Lopez, \u201cCelestial Light over Sea Cliffs.\u201d Saint Rapha\u00ebl, French Riviera\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"720\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-2.jpeg\" alt=\"a stunning photo of the vibrant milky way in a star studded sky\" class=\"wp-image-473822\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Anthony Lopez, \u201cCelestial Light over Sea Cliffs.\u201d Saint Rapha\u00ebl, French Riviera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-9.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473818\" title=\"Uro\u0161 Fink, \u201cGeminid Symphony Over La Palma\u2019s Guardian of the Sky.\u201d Roque de los Muchachos GTC Telescope, La Palma\u200b\" data-rl_title=\"Uro\u0161 Fink, \u201cGeminid Symphony Over La Palma\u2019s Guardian of the Sky.\u201d Roque de los Muchachos GTC Telescope, La Palma\u200b\" data-rl_caption=\"Uro\u0161 Fink, \u201cGeminid Symphony Over La Palma\u2019s Guardian of the Sky.\u201d Roque de los Muchachos GTC Telescope, La Palma\u200b\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1728\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/milky-way-9.jpg\" alt=\"a stunning photo of the vibrant milky way in a star studded sky\" class=\"wp-image-473820\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Uro\u0161 Fink, \u201cGeminid Symphony Over La Palma\u2019s Guardian of the Sky.\u201d Roque de los Muchachos GTC Telescope, La Palma\u200b<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside 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article<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Owain Scullion, \u201cAoraki Mt. Cook.\u201d Aoraki\/Mt. Cook National Park, New Zealand. All images \u00a9 the photographers, courtesy of Capture the Atlas, shared with permission Explore 25 Incredible Photos of the Milky Way Captured Around the World May 7, 2026 NaturePhotography Kate Mothes Share Email Bookmark Organized by Capture the Atlas, the 2026 Milky Way Photographer [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-1923331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1923331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1923331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1923331\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1923331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1923331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1923331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}