By Sheetal Kumari | May 28, 2025
The 2025 Milky Way Photo Contest, organised by Capture the Atlas, showcases 10 breathtaking winning shots from around the world. All images in this web story are courtesy of Capture the Atlas.
(Image: Winter Fairy Tale by Uroš Fink)
Captured from the ISS by astronaut Don Pettit, “One in a Billion” reveals Earth’s glow and starry skies using a Nikon Z9 with a modified tracker to eliminate orbital motion blur.
(Image: Don Pettit)
Petr Horálek captured this stunning panorama during the March 2025 lunar eclipse at Chile’s Cerro Tololo Observatory, revealing the Milky Way, Zodiacal Light, and vibrant airglow beneath the darkened Moon.
(Image: Petr Horálek)
Captured by Mike Abramyan in Alabama Hills, this stunning image showcases the Perseid meteor shower with a mosaic of meteors and the Milky Way core, framed by Boot Arch and a stargazing friend.
(Image: Mike Abramyan)
Captured in Socotra, Yemen, Bottle Tree Paradise by Benjamin Barakat showcases rare bottle trees under the Milky Way, blending hidden island beauty with celestial wonder. Image courtesy: Capture the Atlas.
(Image: Benjamin Barakat)
Angel Fux’s stunning shot captures a rare Double Milky Way Arch over the Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland—blending winter and summer skies in one seamless, awe-inspiring, high-altitude composition.
(Image: Angel Fux)
Pablo Ruiz captures the Milky Way rising over Chile’s Atacama Cactus Valley in this stunning panorama, showcasing the Gum Nebula and a vibrant night sky above a landscape of towering cacti.
(Image: Pablo Ruiz)
Sergio Montúfar captured Volcán de Fuego erupting beneath the Milky Way from Acatenango, Guatemala. The dramatic contrast of lava and starlight creates a breathtaking scene of Earth’s fury and cosmic calm.
(Image: Sergio Montúfar)
Photographer Max Inwood captured New Zealand’s stunning lupine bloom beneath a dark sky, showcasing the Milky Way, Orion, Gemini, bright Jupiter and Mars, with green airglow on the horizon.
(Image: Max Inwood)
Photographer Brent Martin captured the vibrant Milky Way, Comet Atlas, and a pink aurora above Australia’s Great Ocean Road. Despite challenges, his stunning 2025 image shows intense green airglow at dawn.
(Image: Brent Martin)
Photographer Tomas Slovinsky captured the stunning Milky Way over South Crete’s sea, with thousands of stars, visible airglow, and vibrant colours, during a peaceful, light-pollution-free night on the beach.
(Image: Tomas Slovinsky)