Starry Sky of Andes

The southern Milky Way fades in the morning twilight over ice fields at altitude of 5000 meters of Andes, Chile. The Southern Cross and bright stars Alpha and Beta Centauri are notable right above the horizon. The Milky Way’s neighboring satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, and Canopus, the second brightest star in the night sky, are visible on the upper right. The foreground ice field is a familiar feature of high altitude dry areas of Andes, known as ice penitentes. They are in the form of tall thin blades of hardened snow or ice closely spaced. Click on the second photo to see the photographer at this location after a freezing starry night.