Guard of Honor

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

From the photographer: “The night sky in a panoramic view over a Buddhist shrine in Yunnan pronvince of China. Despite the light pollution of Fei lai temple, The zodiacal light and dazzling Venus appear over the Meili Snow Mountain on the left. The Milky Way from the Summer Triangle (left) to Orion (middle right) is arched over the sacred stupas and lights from nearby county Deqin. At this place, thirteen stupas line up to salute the Prince Thirteen Peaks of Meili Snow Mountain. The Kawagarbo peak, with an elevation of 6740 meters, is the highest in this range and regarded as one of the most sacred peaks in the Tibetan world.”