Clear skies and a new moon prompted a trip a trip to Moab, Utah where astrophotographer Chris Pruzenski took this stunning image.
The image is a time-lapse of Corona arch, which is located on a hiking trail near the Colorado River about 20 minutes south of Moab. It's located right in between Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Parks.
"A lot of work went into getting the foreground illuminated just right - but of course, it's the fun kind of work. The hike to this arch was 1.5 miles each way, and quite an adventure in the dark. All around, a great time," Pruzenski wrote. [Skywatching In 2016: The Year's Must-See Events (Infographic)]
Star trails in a night sky image can be created with long exposure times. This technique causes the stars to appear as if they are trailing in arcs similar to the path they trace in the night sky. Star trail images such as this one show how Earth's rotation can influence the motion.
He stacked 80 frames to create the star trail (time-lapse) effect - the photos were 25 second exposures taken with my Nikon D5100, using an f/2.3 Tokina lens at 11mm, and ISO1600.
To see more amazing night sky photos submitted by Space.com readers, visit our astrophotography archive.
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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