Astrophotographer peers into a cosmic 'eye' looking out into the universe

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The Milky Way looks stunning above the Alqueva Dark Sky preserve in Portugal thanks to this mosaic from astrophotographer Miguel Claro.

an arc of hazy white light stretches across a starry night sky next to a curved panoramic view of a lush green landscape. the whole image is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise so that the sky is on the left and the landscape is on the right. the combination of the arc of white light and the arc of the ground forms almost an eye-like shape
Miguel Claro's "A Giant Eye Staring at the Night Sky." (Image credit: Miguel Claro)

Miguel Claro is a professional photographer, author and science communicator based in Lisbon, Portugal, who creates spectacular images of the night sky. As a European Southern Observatory Photo Ambassador and member of The World At Night and the official astrophotographer of the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, he specializes in astronomical "Skyscapes" that connect both Earth and the night sky. 

This unusual portrait appears to depict what could be a giant eye, viewed from our lovely planet Earth while staring deep into the beauty of the Milky Way galaxy. It is important to remember that this collection of billions of stars it is indeed our true cosmic home. 

After the success of my "Martian Eye" released in 2019 and captured from Ojos del Salar, in Chile's Atacama desert, I decided that it would be the right time to release a new refreshed view of the Milky Way, but this time, captured from my dear home of Alqueva in Portugal. 

Miguel Claro's "A Giant Eye Staring at the Night Sky." (Image credit: Miguel Claro)

Originally captured in landscape format, this large mosaic comprises 25 still images photographed above Alqueva Lake, the largest manmade lake in Europe, and shows one of the wonderful nightscapes available thanks to the dark skies of Dark Sky Alqueva preserve. 

Besides dozens of emission nebulas and wisps of dark dust spread along the Milky Way's path, the image depicts the Andromeda Galaxy, which appears as a small oblong diffuse shape.

The mosaic also contains a greenish smooth light surrounding the horizon, due to the presence of airglow (which occurs when sunlight interacts with atoms and molecules within Earth's atmosphere), revealing what we can find in the summer sky from northern hemisphere if we can find a dark place far away from city lights. 

Sometimes I hear people saying that they feel small when they realize the sheer scale of the universe, but I feel differently, and this is what impels me to produce such a wide panoramic scene. My main intention is to show how big we must feel for being part of this big cosmic canvas where all life is beautiful and perfect. I believe as quoted by Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky: "Beauty will save the world."

Fine Art Prints

(Image credit: Miguel Claro)

I hope you enjoy this photo as much as I do, and if you want to support my work as an independent artist, you can buy this image as a print and a piece of art or a wall decor for your sweet home! Explore the size options and different types available on my print gallery. Meanwhile, you can sign-up my newsletter to get early access of future releases.

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Miguel Claro
Miguel Claro is a professional photographer, author and science communicator based in Lisbon, Portugal, who creates spectacular images of the night sky. As a European Southern Observatory photo ambassador, a member of The World At Night and the official astrophotographer of the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, he specializes in astronomical skyscapes that connect Earth and the night sky.