Milky Way Arches Over Mount Lassen Wilderness
Monday, May 25th, 2026 at 9:11:20 AM · 2026/Mt Lassen Volcanic National Park
This long-exposure astrophotography image captures the Milky Way galaxy band sweeping diagonally across a remarkably dark night sky above Mount Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California. Thousands of individual stars are rendered as crisp points of light against the deep black sky, with the denser galactic core region visible as a luminous, cloud-like band of diffuse light. The silhouette of pine tree branches frames the upper right corner of the frame, providing a subtle terrestrial anchor to the cosmic scene. A faint meteor streak is just barely visible in the lower right portion of the image, adding a fleeting, serendipitous element to the composition. The dark nebulae — dust lanes within the Milky Way — create striking contrast against the stellar background, showcasing the exceptional dark sky conditions of this remote national park.
Chronologically Adjacent
