"Fog Below and the Stars Above"—Heavy fog diffuses the light of Wellington, New Zealand, while the Milky Way appears above. Fourth place in the Against the Lights category. (Mark Gee)

Stunning Photos of the Night Sky From the International Earth and Sky Photo Contest

From swirling aurora borealis to bioluminescent beaches, these award-winning photographs capture rare views of our world at night

By Thomas McKinless

smithsonian.com
June 23, 2014

The winning photos of the 5th Annual International Earth and Sky Photo Contest—a selection of which are highlighted above—feature jaw-dropping nightscapes from all over the world, ranging from dazzling aurora displays in Norway to brilliant starfields seen from the desert near Fayoum, Egypt.

The contest highlights a style known as landscape astrophotography, which combines elements of the night sky and the Earth's horizon, and more than 1,000 submissions from 55 countries around the world make up a vast array of spectacular photos of the earth and the heavens.

The contest is a collaboration between The Earth At Night (TWAN), the National Optical Astronomy Observatory and Astronauts Without Borders. These sponsors hope the images raise awareness of issues with light polution. You can see more than 70 additional contest images in the video below.