[Artistic] Submission 142742 – Tom Rae

Standing on the edge of a glacial moraine wall in the heart of New Zealand’s southern alps, I was able to experience and capture this mid-winter wonderland, a valley defined by ice underneath the core of our home galaxy. After months of waiting for conditions like these I was finally able to obtain an image that I believe encapsulates the raw beauty of the harsh winter conditions here. Although photography here was a dream, it did come with its own challenges in fighting the extreme cold. However, the night sky above also allowed me to consider the environmental extremes on earth versus in outer space, and the fragility of human beings in our little haven of planet earth.