Aridity

Chile is one of the best places on Earth to observe the night sky. I will always remember my first time opening the car door to take a glimpse at the stars, as I was driving through the Chilean Andes. The light from core of our home galaxy and Jupiter was so intense that it literally lit up the cactus grove in front of me and almost cast a shadow on the arid ground! It was like standing on Mars. This picture is very special to me because it reminds us how much we need to protect dark skies!