The Orion Arm of the Milky Way Stunning

Simply breath-taking: The Milky Way floats over a serene lake in an image which took two years to get just right
Occasionally an image comes along which is simply breath-taking.
This, we humbly submit, is one of them, an image of the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy, stretching in an immense band across the skies and giving us just the tiniest glimpse of the vastness of our universe around us.
The image was taken by astrophotographer Luc Perrot on the French island of Réunion, to the East of Madagascar, who reports that he waited two years to get the perfect light conditions.
But it was worth it

 

 

 

 

The image was taken earlier this month at the Piton de l'Eau on Reunion Island.In the foreground, surrounded by bushes and trees, lies a water-filled volcanic crater serenely reflecting starlight.  A careful inspection near the image center will locate Piton des Neiges, the highest peak on the island, situated several kilometers away.

In the background, high above the lake, shines the light of hundreds of stars, most of which are within 100 light years, right in our stellar neighborhood. Far in the distance, arching majestically overhead, is the central band of our home Milky Way Galaxy, shining by the light of millions of stars each located typically thousands of light years away.