<p dir="ltr"><strong>The diminutive silhouette of a sky-watcher in Iceland last December is set against the grandeur of a double cosmic arch encapsulating the Milky Way and the northern lights. The picturesque Godafoss waterfall and surrounding frozen landscape helps frame the picture, which won first place in the<a href="http://www.twanight.org/newTWAN/news.asp?newsID=6081"> Fourth International Earth and Sky Photo Contest</a>'s "Beauty of the Night Sky" category, organizers announced this week. </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">"This submission is a stitched panorama of four pictures where the Milky Way and the aurora curves extend right into the river and waterfall," said Babak Tafreshi, director of <a href="http://www.twanight.org">The World at Night (TWAN)</a> and one of the contest founders.</p> <p dir="ltr">Founded by TWAN and the <a href="http://www.darkskiesawareness.org/">Dark Skies Awareness</a> project, the annual contest invites photographers to submit their best shots of landscape astrophotography—pictures that showcase both the Earth and the sky—as well as images that capture the battle against<a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/11/light-pollution/klinkenborg-text"> light pollution</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Photographers from 45 countries submitted 685 entries to the contest this year and were judged in two categories: "Beauty of the Night Sky" and "Against the Lights."</p> <p dir="ltr">"The amazing number of eye-catching entries from across the world tells how public attention to night sky is growing," said Tafreshi in a press release this week.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>—Andrew Fazekas</em></p>