2,000 arches, infinite sky

Like giants on guard, scattered stone formations stand in silhouette as darkness falls on Arches National Park. Nary a streetlight dulls the piercing stars in this remote region of Utah, where the mountain-biking hotspot of Moab—population about 5,000—is the closest thing to a metropolis. Under clear conditions, nightfall reveals the Milky Way in its full, sky-spanning arc, appearing especially sharp when caught on camera. The lucky photographer behind today's shot caught this galactic scene as seen through one of the twin 'windows' of Double Arch—one of the park's more than 2,000 natural arches.