Milky Way over Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park Sep. 18, 2023

The Milky Way Galaxy has billions of stars; among them, our own Sun finds its place. Its name is derived from the radiant, irregular band of stars and gas clouds known as the Milky Way, which graces Earth"s sky. Methodical observations of the night sky started with early civilizations and astronomy, the oldest natural science that studies celestial objects and their phenomena, is still a modern source of fascination around our own ever-orbiting planet. That love of the night sky is what brings stargazers to Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park, a site free from heavy light pollution.

© Daniel Garrido/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

A grove glows green
Sep. 18, 2024Gujō Hachiman Castle, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Sep. 18, 2025Dunquin Pier, County Kerry, Ireland

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar. 20, 2024Cave Dale and Peveril Castle, England
May 25, 2024Aït Benhaddou, Morocco
Don’t look down!
Misty mountain hop
The mystery of Stonehenge
Aug. 17, 2024International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend
‘The hills have a power to soothe and heal which is their very own.’
Nov. 22, 2023Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Love is in the snow
Man-made, meandering Lake Powell
Happy Canada Day!
To the infinite and back
Nov. 17, 2023Copper Falls State Park, Wisconsin
A delightfully ornate Easter display
Out of this world
Jul. 31, 2025Kalalau Beach on the Nā Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii, United States
Blue hues and ceramic scenes of Porto
Jul. 2, 2025Spine-cheeked anemonefish
Oct. 27, 2025Thick-billed raven, Simien Mountains, Ethiopia
Aug. 30, 2023International Whale Shark Day
Mar. 24, 2024Silvereyes
Festive foliage in the garden
Nov. 24, 2025Gwalior Fort, Madhya Pradesh, India
Jan. 6, 2024Vermilion Lakes, Banff
Jun. 21, 2024National Indigenous Peoples Day
The ancient home of the Minoans
Sep. 26, 2025Least chipmunk, Kootenai National Forest, Montana, United States
Centuries of time in a Delicate Arch
Apr. 16, 2025Anniversary of Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, United States
Aug. 30, 2024International Whale Shark Day