Galactic Atacama

A UHD fish-eye/fulldome view from the Chilean Atacama Desert, showing the Milky Way shining brightly overhead. Taken during the ESO Ultra HD Expedition.

In the background, the quiet beauty of the Atacama sky is enhanced by a orange/yellow aurora-like shimmer, called airglow, which is caused by light-emitting chemical reactions in the atmosphere. Normally, those emissions are not so strong, but the night this image was taken they were unusually bright, producing this unusual picture.