Autumn Milky Way Starscapes Gallery
During the cool crisp evenings of autumn, the Milky Way sweeps majestically across the sky as seen from northern hemisphere locales if sufficiently distant from the obliterating glow of city lights. This hazy band of faint light rises from the northeastern horizon and passes directly though the zenith before sinking below the southwestern horizon (click on the Milky Way diagram to the right to enlarge).
Many familiar constellations lie within the Milky Way including Cassiopeia, Cygnus, Lyra, Aquila, Sagittarius and Scorpius. This autumnal view of the night sky is one of the most awe inspiring sights of naked eye astronomy. But can only be seen from rural areas far from the effects of urban light pollution.
Below is a selection of photographs of the autumn Milky Way taken from the dark skies of Portal, AZ.
