Milky Way & Light Pollution

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

From the photographer: “This vantage point is one of my favorite spots and one of the reasons I moved to Maine – the view of the Milky Way and the features of the night sky as observed at Pemaquid Harbor from a good friend’s house. The ridiculously bright light across the harbor is coming from Fort William Henry – a few years ago they installed a dusk-to-dawn sodium vapor lamp to light up the property all night long, every night of the year. Although some folks have said they think that the man-made light pollution helps to accentuate certain aspects of the foreground in this image (and I am thankful for the kind words and can appreciate their viewpoint), I think it’s a damn shame because I can remember how many more night sky features were visible from this location during the years previous to the light being there. Please help us to preserve the night!”

Nikon D7000 & Tokina 11-16mm @ 11mm, f/2.8 – 25 secs – ISO 3200, Processed through Lightroom 4 & Photoshop CS5