Joel Leske, Fire in the sky (SINGLE SHOT 2022)

This detailed image of the Milky Way core comprises over 800 individual pictures that were stitched together. Our eyes are unable to see colour at night, but cameras can capture the incredible beauty that we cannot see. In the Milky Way alone, there are estimated to be 100 billion stars and this image captures just a small fraction on them. In this image, you can see the lagoon and triffid nebulas, Ptolemy’s cluster, the tail of the scorpion stars and HR 6630 - a bright double star that appears as a single star when viewed with our eyes. Taken over two nights, this image comprises around 8 hours of data and the detail and colours that appear above us every night, never ceases to amaze me.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.