These 8 Stunning Night Sky Images Won South Downs National Park's Cosmic Photography Competition

Every year, during February, the grassy grounds of Southern England’s South Downs National Park turn into a stage for performances so dazzling that they remind witnesses again and again to "embrace the darkness." Walks along the trails are lit up like necklaces of twinkling diamonds. Bathed in moonbeams, the lichen-covered trees host parties of bioluminescent fungi and nocturnal creatures that glow. Visitors' faces are illumined by sparkles of exuberance as they enjoy star parties, podcasts, and cosmic storytelling sessions. In the sky above, constellations like the Great Bear materialize to mark this Dark Skies Festival.

Imitating the cosmic messages exhibited by these sights, the winners of the South Downs National Park cosmic competition captured celestial wonders across their towns, also marking the 10th anniversary of South Downs National Park being one of the 25 International Dark Sky Reserves in the world. More than 130 breathtaking images were submitted, from glowing clouds of gas to surreal halos of galaxies. The winning photograph captured a tongue of the Milky Way rising from behind an abandoned hut in a barn in Brighton’s Balsdean Valley. The winning photographer, Michael Steven Harris, bagged the prize of £250 ($339).