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'The gateway to the Milky Way': Stunning star-filled snaps show Durdle Door archway below centre of the galaxy

Astro photographer Stephen Banks captured the stunning rock archway backdropped against the star-filled 'gateway to the Milky Way' in Dorset
Yahoo News UK – Mon, Oct 7, 2013

Yahoo News UK/CATERS - Stephen's stunning snaps show Durdle Door beneath the starry sky. (STEPHEN BANKS / CATERS)

With the natural wonder of Durdle Door lit up against the stunning starry sky, these are no ordinary beachside snaps.

Astro photographer Stephen Banks captured the stunning rock archway backdropped against the star-filled 'gateway to the Milky Way' in Dorset.

By setting his camera to a 30-second exposure time, and using a bright LED torch to illuminate the arch, the 24-year-old snatched the perfect moment.

His pictures, which he says are unaltered, show the centre of our galaxy as it passed through the rare rock formation of Durdle Door.

Stephen, who works in PR, said: 'I've never captured Durdle Door like this before and I've never seen a picture quite like it.

'I walked along the beach and carefully lined up the light in the distance with the 'door' of the arch.

'I drove through a lot of fog to get to this location, so I was adamant that the evening would be a complete right off. But luckily the fog began to clear as I made the descent down to the beach. Some mist was still present and, in the distance, the lights from a boat lit up the horizon.

Another photo from Stephen's selection shows the archway with the sun rising underneath. (STEPHEN BANKS / CATE …

Stephen has since been asked to submit his images for the Astronomy Photographer of the Year award. (STEPHEN BANKS …

'With a 30 second exposure, this had the effect of making the lights look like the moon or sun rising, but you can still see the stars in the sky.

'I could quite easily have given up and turned back to Bridport that evening, but I stuck with it and was very pleased that I did.'

Stephen, of Bridport, Dorset, has taken the astronomy photography world by storm - and was asked to enter his pictures for Astronomy Photographer of the Year award.

Frozen in time: Photographer's stunning images show trees covered in ice by sub-zero Lake Ontario

Winter weather normally generates depression and frustration - but these stunning images may make you feel differently.

Photographer Tim Corbin's spectacular winter-themed snaps show the effect of sub-zero temperatures on a stretch of Lake Ontario between Whitby and Oshawa.

His pictures show trees encased in ice after violent storms on the Canadian lake threw water against the shore.

Tim, originally from sunnier Trinidad, only got into photography two years ago, but now snaps his surroundings in eastern Ontario. You can see Tim's pictures on his 'In Plain Sight' website here.

Lake Ontario, the site of Tim's pictures, is 7,300 square miles in size, making it roughly as big as New Jersey (Tim Corbin)

Lake Ontario, where Tim took his eye-catching pictures, is the smallest of the five Great Lakes (Tim Corbin).

The surroundings of Lake Ontario were all encased in ice when fierce winter storms whipped sub-zero waves onto the shore (Tim Corbin).

And More

Stunning NASA images show 'Earth never sleeps'

Scientists have revealed an unprecedented view of Earth at night showing the glow of natural and human-built phenomena in greater detail than ever before.

 
http://youtu.be/gCLlnI9EYVU

Stunning Nasa Images Show 'Earth Never Sleeps'

A satellite with sensors powerful enough to spot lights from a single ship provides an amazing view of Earth at night.
Scientists have revealed an unprecedented view of Earth at night showing the glow of natural and human-built phenomena in greater detail than ever before.

The new images were taken by a Nasa-NOAA satellite that was launched last year.

Its sensor, the day-night band of the, is sensitive enough to detect the nocturnal glow produced by Earth's atmosphere and the light from a single ship in the sea.his image shows the continental United States

Unlike a camera that captures a picture in one exposure, the day-night band produces an image by repeatedly scanning a scene and resolving it as millions of individual pixels.

The day-night band observed Hurricane Sandy, illuminated by moonlight, making landfall over New Jersey on the evening of October 29. Night images showed the widespread power outages that left millions in darkness in the wake of the storm.

With its night view, VIIRS is able to detect a more complete view of storms and other weather conditions, such as fog.

It also pictured the Nile River, a map of the US east coast and the lights from a line of fishing boats.

"For all the reasons that we need to see Earth during the day, we also need to see Earth at night," said Steve Miller, a researcher at NOAA's Colorado State University Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere."Unlike humans, the Earth never sleeps."

Imagens impressionantes da NASA mostram a 'Terra Nunca Dorme'

Потрясающие изображения НАСА Показать "Земля никогда не спят"

صور مذهلة ناسا عرض "الأرض لا تنام"

Imagens impressionantes da NASA mostram a 'Terra Nunca Dorme'

Stunning Immagini Nasa Mostra 'della Terra non dorme mai'
Atemberaubende Nasa Bilder Show 'Earth Never Sleeps "