The River Over the Desert

A photo composite of multiple exposures. From the photographer: “Spending time in the San Pedro de Atacama region this April brought me and my friends also to the middle of a hidden valley not far from the famous Valle de la Luna. Since the salty desert surroundings are just so large, there is still so much to discover. This is another example. I found a beautiful spot where the trough of an ancient river created such a photogenic valley similar to what we see on images from Mars. And another river–the one in the sky–perfectly followed it. Such an interesting perspective to see the Milky Way, our starry island in the Universe, following a seemingly dry and inhospitable part of our planet while knowing that life is most likely on both sides of this image. Not only on Earth but somewhere there in Space.

In the image, you can see the majestic central Milky Way to the Southern Cross region, ending with the Carina Nebula. High above the sky, the Gegenschein can be clearly visible as well thanks to Chilean Atacama Desert. Colors in the sky over the horizon belong to the airflow.”

Technical details: Canon Ra, Sigma 50mm, f2.2, ISO 6400, 44x20s panorama from a tripod and Vixen Polarie U mount