An extraordinary view of the Milky Way. An amazing photo
The October solar eclipse produced a number of spectacular photos. One of them was captured by Josh Dury on Easter Island. It’s about the Milky Way.
More text below the video
The Milky Way with Moai statues in the background
Photographer Josh Dury flew to Easter Island mainly to celebrate the solar eclipse, but he didn’t let those special moments go to waste and decided to capture them in the frame.
Due to its location, the Easter Islands have a very dark sky, which provides incredible contrast and great visibility of the stars. Dury took advantage of the unique characteristics of this place and captured the Milky Way against the background of the famous Moai statues.
Interestingly, the photo made such a huge impression that… NASA selected it as the astronomical photo of the day (“Astronomy Photo of the Day”).
The author of the photo described the circumstances surrounding it as one of the most emotional moments in his life, dedicating the photo to the inhabitants of the island and their ancestors. He called the photo “Aringa Ora O Te Tupuna”, which translated from the Rapa Nui language (the indigenous inhabitants of the Easter Islands) means “the living face of the ancestors”. “I believe this phrase bridges the gap between art, science and culture, and highlights the importance of astronomy to the people of Rapa Nui,” Dury wrote on Instagram.
