A magnificent blue glow lights up this skywatching image of the Milky Way and crashing waves.
Photographer Jeffrey Berkes took this image from Cannon Beach in Oregon around the Haystack Rock Bird Sanctuary in July. The blue bioluminescent glow in the coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean serves as a stunning earthly counterpart to the stars of the Milky Way shining brilliantly overhead.
"On my previous trips I never saw any sign bioluminescence in the waters, but nature likes to surprise you some times and let me tell you I was in awe!" Berkes wrote to Space.com. [See more amazing photos of our Milky Way Galaxy]
The Milky Way, our own galaxy containing the solar system, is a barred spiral galaxy with roughly 400 billion stars. The stars, along with gas and dust, appear like a band of light in the sky from Earth. The galaxy stretches between 100,000 to 120,000 light-years in diameter.
Capturing a balance between the tidal areas with the glittering Milky Way required a bit of resourcefulness.
"I set up my gear in the waves around 1am just to fill the frame with the glowing water. I noticed my tripod kept sinking into the sand during my long exposures, so I came up with an idea to push the tripod deep into the sand and hold it sturdy while high tide came marching in," Berkes added.
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