Description

As seen on Astronomy Picture of the Day and National Geographic the arc of the southern Milky Way shines brightly on this starry night. In the foreground of this gorgeous skyview is the rainforest near the spectacular Iguaçu Falls and national park at the border of Brazil and Argentina. The World Heritage Iguacu includes 275 falls spreading across 3 kilometers of Iguacu river and is widely considered as one of the new Seven Wonders of the world. Looking skyward along the Milky Way’s arc from the left are Alpha and Beta Centauri, the Coalsack, the Southern Cross, and the Carina Nebula. Sirius, brightest star in planet Earth’s night sky is at the far right. Brilliant Canopus, second brightest star in the night, and our neighboring galaxies the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, are also included in the scene.

For help finding them, just move the slider on the image to see the labels. Much closer to home, lights near the center along the horizon are from Argentina’s Iguazú Falls International Airport. As noted by the photographer “I was located on the northern side of Iguaçu and a nice portion of the falls were visible. There were challenges to make TWAN photos here, besides the long travel. The area is very wet at this high water season and working at night with long exposures close to the falls damages the camera easily, and it’s often foggy and cloudy. Staying in front of the roaring giant falls at night with Southern Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds in front me and dense rainforest in my back was an experience to remember. After three night of overcast sky, the clear sky came but didn’t last more than few hours but it was enough for a successful night adventure in this paradise.”

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comments (13)


  • Behrad Farmahini Farahani Reply

    Dear Mr. Tafreshi,
    My name is Behrad and i love the world’s nights. If i were a photographer i would work on the sky.
    thank you for your photos. i have been enjoying theme.
    best regards,
    Behrad, Tehran.

    June 2, 2010 at 1:19 pm
  • Edward Rooks Reply

    Bravo! This magnificent photograph is appealing on artistic , emotional and intellectual levels.

    July 9, 2010 at 12:45 pm
  • Charles Isbell Reply

    This is a very beautiful photo, well centered and exposed. Since I can’t see this far South in the
    sky, it looks that much prettier to me.
    Charles Isbell
    Dallas, Texas

    July 9, 2010 at 1:13 pm
  • Mike Baker Reply

    Magnificant photo!

    July 9, 2010 at 2:35 pm
  • Anonymous Reply

    hi! i am David . i have notice the web for a long time , how can i join you ? i also love the night .can you tell me something about your organization ? this is my Email address, thanks!

    July 10, 2010 at 4:58 am
  • GökTaşı Reply

    fantastic

    July 11, 2010 at 1:35 pm
  • Gaurav Karunakar Reply

    This is like watching the beginning of the universe. Absolutely fantastic! Hope to watch more of such marvels.
    Gaurav

    July 13, 2010 at 3:36 am
  • Maria Reply

    Lovely image! I grew up looking at these stars!!

    July 16, 2010 at 11:20 pm
  • Anna Rheim Reply

    This is a remarkable photograph from the points of view of;
    beauty, science, uniqueness, photographic expertise, spirituality and inspiration. Bravo!!

    July 22, 2010 at 9:43 pm
  • Joy Reply

    What an artistic Creator made all this for us to witness and enjoy! Thanks for capturing this beautiful image to share with others.

    July 22, 2010 at 10:44 pm
  • Alice Duncan Reply

    One of the most beautiful images I’ve ever seen.

    October 3, 2010 at 2:09 am
  • Bibi Reply

    Thanks a million! Words can’t describe how utterly beautiful this picture is!
    I live in a Northern Hemisphere city 20 degrees north, SO I HAD NO IDEA how our Milky Way looked from our very planet, and even how other galaxies looked from here!
    Thanks to this MAGNIFICENT image I now know! I wish I live to see a view of the night even remotely similar to this one, live!

    November 22, 2010 at 3:56 pm
  • Sharon T. Reply

    Babak….This a very beautiful picture…you have captured so many different points of interest all in one shot…paradise it is! 🙂

    January 6, 2011 at 8:56 pm

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