Stars Above Belgium

The summer Milky Way during moonrise over the Hautes Fagne swamps in Belgium. In the middle Antares, at the heart of the celestial scorpion, is the bright star. On the middle right is Saturn in Libra. On the lower right, at the western horizon, Mars shines next to the star Spica in Virgo. The High Fens (Hautes Fagnes in French) is the largest nature reserve in Belgium, a plateau near Germany. Belgium is not famous for starry skies. Perhaps it’s one of the most light-dominated countries in the world due to the high population density in a developed world. However there are still a few areas to glimpse the beauty of natural night sky. © Bernd Proschold