Night sky wonders

These two photos taken on Reunion Island by Luc Perrot have just won prizes at this year's Earth and Sky Photo Contest, put on by The World At Night, an international organisation dedicated to night-sky photography.

The first photo won third place in the Beauty of the Night Sky category. The Milky Way arcs above the Piton de la Fournaise, Réunion's active volcano; in the background you can see the Southern Cross on the upper right, and the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds on the lower right.

"Beauty of Southern Sky"

The second photo won fourth place in the Against the Lights category.  Venus is captured in this panoramic mountain view over the cirque of Salazie. Mars is visible to the lower right and bright stars Alpha and Beta Centauri are to the top left. The colourful glows in the mist are from the lights of small villages hidden in the valley.

"Venus above Reunion Island"

I have blog posts with more photos taken by Luc Perrot here, here and here.