Sheila Peake, Under the Milky Way Arch (LANDSCAPE 2026)

The very last Milky Way of the 2025 season presented a full arch in the western sky over the 1770 Marina in central Queensland. Light was plentiful from boats moored in the bay, at the Marina, and the walkway to the small pontoon. While these could have blown out the shot, they instead provided an array of colours to bring a dynamic palate to the photo. This shot was seven vertical panoramas to ensure the full arch of the Milky Way was included. The photos, not tracked, but stacked and blended provided both an interesting foreground, against the vastness of the night sky. Sheila is a keen, landscape and astrophotographer, who undertook a lap of Australia in 2025, finally settling in Agnes Water, Qld.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.