Each year, as darkness blankets the planet, a global community of stargazers sets their lenses skyward, chasing the galactic heart of our universe. This May, Capture the Atlas unveiled its eighth edition of the Milky Way Photographer of the Year, a collection that transcends photography to become a celebration of wonder, resilience, and the timeless dance between Earth and sky. And in a historic first, this year’s lineup includes an image taken not from a mountaintop or desert, but from the vastness of space.
The 2025 edition of the collection features 25 awe-inspiring images, curated from over 6,000 entries submitted by photographers of 16 nationalities. The images span 25 locations, from the icy heights of the Himalayas and the mystical terrain of Socotra Island to the quiet majesty of Chile’s Atacama Desert. Yet the most profound perspective comes from beyond our atmosphere. Aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Don Pettit contributed a singular viewpoint that redefines the boundaries of astrophotography.
“I float in the Cupola, looking out the seven windows composing this faceted transparent jewel... There are over eight billion people that call this planet home. There are seven of us that can say the same for Space Station. What a privilege it is to be here,” says Pettit in his poetic reflection, titled One in a Billion.
This moment marks the first time a space-based photograph of the Milky Way has been included in the annual curation, merging science and art in a tribute to human curiosity. Pettit’s work, achieved using an orbital star tracker to eliminate motion blur, reveals a universe that feels both infinite and deeply personal.
Stories Behind the Stars
The spirit of the 2025 selection lies not only in the images themselves, but in the deeply human stories behind each shot. Mike Abramyan, who captured Boot Arch Perseids, originally planned to photograph the meteor shower from the Canadian Rockies. But when wildfires forced him to relocate, he found refuge in California's Sierra Nevada. There, after three nights of shooting under the stars, he created a frame that encapsulated not just meteors, but perseverance.
“Sitting on the rock is my friend Arne, who often joins me on these adventures, gazing up at the magnificent core of our galaxy,” Abramyan shares.
In Chile, during a total lunar eclipse, Petr Horálek captured Tololo Lunar Eclipse Sky from the Cerro Tololo Observatory. The darkened moon allowed the Milky Way and Zodiacal Light to shine with dramatic clarity. Meanwhile, Pablo Ruiz explored the Atacama Cactus Valley for Valle de los Cactus, revealing the celestial splendor framed by the desert's signature flora.
In Switzerland, Angel Fux endured the brutal cold of a 3,200-meter winter night to photograph Double Milky Way Arch Over Matterhorn, a rare phenomenon showing both the Winter and Summer Milky Way in a single arc. Fux reflected on the intense effort behind the image:
“Zermatt and the Matterhorn have been photographed countless times, but I aimed to create something truly unique.”
Uncharted and Untamed
One of the defining aspects of the 2025 collection is its embrace of lesser-known and remote locations. On the isolated Socotra Island in Yemen, Benjamin Barakat unveiled Bottle Tree Paradise, a hidden grove of the island's iconic bottle-shaped trees. These ancient species evolved in isolation, just like the unique view captured in his frame.
In Namibia, Burak Esenbey stumbled upon a stunning composition of quiver trees and a towering cactus in Spines and Starlight. He used an astro-modified camera and nebula filter to enhance the Milky Way’s intricate details. Similarly, Vikas Chander ventured into the deserts of Chad, braving security concerns to capture Echiwile Arch, framed perfectly by the hoof-shaped rock formations of the Ennedi Massif.
From Guatemala's volcanic eruptions to Taiwan’s rare blooming rhododendrons, this year’s images merge terrestrial extremes with celestial grace. Sergio Montúfer chronicled the raw force of Volcán de Fuego erupting beneath the galaxy in Cosmic Fire. In Blossom, Ethan Su captured the Milky Way arching over alpine flowers in bloom, energized by an unusual solar flare.
A Planet Under the Stars
The diversity of locations underscores the universality of the night sky. Luis Cajete portrayed Arizona's iconic wave formations in The Wave, while Uroš Fink braved -12°C in Austria's Dobratsch Nature Park to shoot Winter Fairy Tale, a glowing panorama of reddish nebulae and zodiacal light. Max Inwood, in New Zealand, waited through wind and cold to photograph blooming lupines under the Milky Way in A Sea of Lupines.
Other photographers ventured to the edges of ocean and cliff. Anthony Lopez's A Stellar View from the Cave was shot from a coastal cavern in France, while Xingyang Cai's Starlit Ocean captured a rare alignment of a comet, Venus, and the Milky Way over California’s McWay Falls—a moment with just six minutes of perfect darkness.
“In that brief span, the Milky Way arched high above the Pacific, Venus shimmered as it set over the ocean, and the comet streaked quietly across the sky,” Cai recounts.
Beyond Beauty
The Milky Way Photographer of the Year isn’t just a tribute to technical skill; it is a testament to what happens when patience meets passion. Every year, Capture the Atlas editor Dan Zafra selects images not only for their composition, but for the story and emotion they convey. The result is a gallery of the human spirit—resilient, curious, and ever in awe of the universe.
These photographs are more than visuals; they are invitations. They call on us to disconnect from artificial light and rediscover the cosmic heritage above us. In an age of division and distraction, they remind us that, no matter where we stand on Earth, we all live beneath the same stars.
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