Three Roads to Galactic Paradise

The arch of the Milky Way from Cassiopeia (left) to bright stars of the Summer Triangle (middle up) and the bright central galactic bulge in Scorpius and Sagittarius (right). The dramatic scene is captured over the Arches National Park, home to over 2,000 natural sandstone arches located in Utah, United States. The park lies atop an underground salt bed, which caused the formation of the arches, sandstone fins, and enormous monoliths in the area. The salt bed was deposited over the Colorado Plateau around 300 million years ago when a sea flowed into the region and eventually evaporated. Over countless millennia, the erosive forces of water and wind have shaped the geologic wonderland we see today at Arches. As described by the photographer “It is simply magical spending an evening here, hiking the short trails under such starry skies. It’s much more than just a walk in the park. It’s a walk to the heaven.”