Happy Astronomy Day!

No, that's not a downpour of lightsabers — but it's no typical night sky either. Stargazing here at Paranal Observatory, on a mountaintop in Chile's desolate Atacama Desert, you'll get one of the clearest possible naked-eye views of the southern skies. This 'lightsaber' effect comes from the photo's long exposure. The chilliest stars (around 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit) appear red, while the hottest (tens of thousands of degrees) appear blue or nearly white.
© Matteo Omied/Alamy