Taken in May 2024 and published in September, this is now the third time one of Marcin Rosadziński's photos have been selected by the American Space Agency.

'I have a special fondness for this photo, because it was taken in our home country - in a beautiful place in Podhale in the Polish Tatras, one of the most beautiful viewpoints I have ever photographed. It is located in Jurgów on the Polish-Slovak border', Rosadziński told PAP.

'It shows the emerging Milky Way galaxy, with the colourful Rho Ophiuchi nebula very clearly visible on the right and the majestic red Zeta Ophiuchi nebula just above Rho Ophiuchi. I had been planning this shot for some time, and the weather was good in May, so I decided to try. That night, the sky conditions were really great, which is not always the case despite good weather forecasts', he added.

'Sometimes I stay up all night, drive a few dozen or a few hundred kilometres and come back empty-handed because the weather is bad. This time everything was as it should be, and even better, because I also managed to capture three meteorites (in the upper left corner of the photo), which add charm to this photo', Rosadziński continued.

He also considered the place to be 'magical', although he also admitted that he was a little afraid of a bear encounter. 'I was taking photos that evening with one of my friends, but I think that we would have no chance in a confrontation with a bear. Fortunately, all ended well; however, to get to this place, we had to walk a bit through the forest, and the sound of the water meant that we would only see the bear if it stood right behind us...', he said.

Rosadziński has been doing astrophotography for just three years.

'My adventure with the stars began on the day when I received an astronomical telescope for observing the sky as a birthday gift. In parallel with observing through the telescope, I began to explore the secrets of star constellations through binoculars. When I started photographing the night sky, my hobby turned into a true passion, one that I try to infect others with. I do something completely different professionally, but I would like this hobby to become at least partly a way of life', he said.

To this end, two weeks ago he launched an astrophotography website to promote his work.

NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day website has been run by the agency since 1995 and is considered the most prestigious website for astrophotographers. (PAP)

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