The shot topped a record field of more than 6,000 entries from around the globe. Rosadziński hiked the 1,800-meter Pedra Rija viewpoint between Pico do Areeiro and Pico Ruivo twice, lugging 10 kg of gear after cloud ruined his first attempt.
“The picture shows the Milky Way’s arc over a rocky hill that looks as if it’s floating in midair,” he told Poland’s PAP news agency, adding that no one had photographed the spot in that way before.
“That’s why I love landscape astrophotography – it lets you fuse the night-sky treasures with Earth and create something unique.”
Rosadziński, already a three-time NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day winner, hopes the award will inspire city dwellers who rarely see stars through light pollution.
Organized by an international collective of professional night-sky shooters, the annual contest showcased Milky Way scenes ranging from deserts and Arctic tundra to a frame shot aboard the International Space Station.
Rosadziński’s previous honors include APODs on 18 July 2023 and 11 September and 29 May 2024, plus the AstroCamera “Astro-Landscape” prize.
(jh)
Source: PAP, capturetheatlas.com