Portal to the Stars

A Notable Photo of the 2014 International Earth & Sky Photo Contest.

From the photographer: “This is a shot of the famous Hole-in-the-Rock at Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur, California. Each year, hundreds of photographers flock to this site in December to see the setting sun shine right through this portal. I thought I would do something different and have the Milky Way shine through instead. In early fall, the last of the “summer Milky Way” moves over to the west and positions itself right over the portal making an interesting shot. The skies in the Big Sur area are perfect for Dark Sky viewing with very little light pollution when looking south and west.”