Astrophotographer Meldeine Sipes took advantage of her family's picturesque vacation spot by shooting some spectacular images of giant sequoia trees under a starry sky.
Sipes recently sent SPACE.com these stunning images taken over the Fourth of July weekend from Sequoia National Park in California.
"Over the 4th of July weekend, my family went on a road trip to the Sequoia National Park to see giants and stars. For the first time, we saw the night sky as nature intended," Sipes wrote SPACE.com via email. [6 Stellar Places for Skywatching in the US]
"The sequoias reminded us how small we are, and the night sky showed us that the giants surrounding us were smaller than we could ever imagine."
Editor's note: If you have an amazing night sky photo you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, please contact managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.
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Nina Sen is a freelance writer and producer who covered night sky photography and astronomy for Space.com. She began writing and producing content for Space.com in 2011 with a focus on story and image production, as well as amazing space photos captured by NASA telescopes and other missions. Her work also includes coverage of amazing images by astrophotographers that showcase the night sky's beauty.