Breathtaking Winning Photos from the 2025 Milky Way Photographer of the Year

“One in a Billion” by Don Pettit

The 2025 Milky Way Photographer of the Year contest has revealed 25 stunning images that celebrate the beauty of our galaxy.

With 6,000 submissions from 16 nationalities, the winners captured breathtaking shots from locations worldwide, including Chile, Greece, Yemen, and even space. Curated by Capture the Atlas editor Dan Zafra, the selections highlight rare celestial events, dramatic landscapes, and exceptional storytelling. These images serve as powerful reminders of the universe’s vast beauty and inspire deeper connections with the night sky.

More: Capture The Atlas, Instagram

“Tololo Lunar Eclipse Sky” by Petr Horálek

“Boot Arch Perseids” by Mike Abramyan

“Bottle Tree Paradise” by Benjamin Barakat

“Double Milky Way Arch Over Matterhorn” by Angel Fux

“Valle de los Cactus” by Pablo Ruiz

“Cosmic Fire” by Sergio Montúfar

“A Sea of Lupines” by Max Inwood

“Diamond Beach Emerald Sky” by Brent Martin

“Blosoom” by Ethan Su

“The Night Guardians” by Rositsa Dimitrova

“Fortress of Light” by Mauricio Salazar

“Glimpse of colors” by Tomas Slovinsky

“Evolution of Stars” by Kavan Chay

“The Wave” by Luis Cajete

“Winter Fairy Tale” by Uroš Fink

“Galaxy of the Stone Array” by Alvin Wu

“Echiwile Arch” by Vikas Chander

“Universo de Sal” by Alejandra Heis

“Lake RT5” by Tanay Das

“A Stellar View From The Cave” by Anthony Lopez

“Spines and Starlight” by Burak Esenbey

“Un Destello en la Oscuridad” by Luis Merino

“Stairway to Heaven” by Marcin Rosadziński

“Starlit Ocean: A Comet, the setting Venus, the Milky Way, and McWay Falls” by Xingyang Cai