Milky Way Arches Over Lassen Volcanic Wilderness Night Sky
Monday, May 25th, 2026 at 8:47:20 AM · 2026/Mt Lassen Volcanic National Park
This long-exposure astrophotography image captures the Milky Way galaxy's core region arching across a remarkably dark night sky above Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California. Thousands of individual stars are visible against the deep black backdrop, with the characteristic diffuse glow of the galactic band cutting diagonally across the upper-center portion of the frame. A faint meteor or satellite trail is visible in the lower-center area of the image, adding an ephemeral element to the composition. The near-total absence of light pollution reveals the stunning star density of the Milky Way, with subtle dark nebulae creating texture within the galactic band. The image was captured with a Canon EOS R6 Mark II and the fast RF24-70mm f/2.8 L IS lens, enabling sufficient light gathering for this wide-field deep-sky shot.
Chronologically Adjacent
