The second of three images of ESO's GigaGalaxy Zoom project is a new and wonderful 340 megapixel vista of the central parts of our galactic home, a 34 by 20-degree wide image that provides us with a view as experienced by amateur astronomers around the world. Taken by Stephane Guisard, an ESO engineer and world-renowned astrophotographer, from Cerro Paranal, home of ESO's Very Large Telescope, this image directly benefits from the quality of Paranal's sky, one of the best on the planet. The image shows the region spanning the sky from the constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer) to Scorpius (the Scorpion). The very colourful Rho Ophiuchi and Antares region features prominently to the right, as well as much darker areas, such as the Pipe and Snake Nebulae. The dusty lane of our Milky Way runs obliquely through the image, dotted with remarkable bright, reddish nebulae, such as the Lagoon and the Trifid Nebulae, as well as NGC 6357 and NGC 6334. This dark lane also hosts the very centre of our Galaxy, where a supermassive black hole is lurking.

The image was obtained by observing with a 10-cm Takahashi FSQ106Ed f/3.6 telescope and a SBIG STL CCD camera, using a NJP160 mount. Images were collected through three different filters (B, V and R) and then stitched together. This mosaic was assembled from 52 different sky fields made from about 1200 individual images totaling 200 hours exposure time, with the final image having a size of 24,403 x 13,973 pixels. Note that the final, full resolution image is only available through Stephane Guisard.

Credit: ESO/S. Guisard (www.eso.org/~sguisard)

This is Moraine Lake in Banff National Park. The colour of the water has a sweet and creamy look that reminds me of Havasu Falls in Arizona.

Enjoy!

Nikon D7000, Tamron SP AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF).

Photo Settings: 32mm, f/9, 1/160 second, ISO 100.

Map: 51.3278, -116.1806

Taken at a height of 244.3 metres from the open-air observation deck on the 72nd floor of the Shard, the tallest building in western Europe.

Adobe Camera Raw.

Nikon D800, Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED.

Map: 51.5045, 0.0865

Taken in Bradley's Head, Sydney, Australia.

Adobe Lightroom 5.

Nikon D810, Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED.

Photo Settings: 14mm, f/22, 1 second, ISO 64.

A friend of mine recommended I check out Hug Point on the Oregon Coast. I didn't make it in time to hike to the most popular spot so I made the most out of the beach near the parking area for sunset. I ended up getting some great shots!

Adobe Lightroom CC.

Canon EOS 6D, Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8L II USM.

The result of a fresh coat of Rain-X on my windshield.

Panasonic Lumix FZ40.

Photo Settings: 11mm, f/4, 1/200 second, ISO 100.

A frozen swamp on in Pudasjärvi, Finland. Boxing Day 2014.

Sirui M-3204X tripod and Sirui K-40X ballhead, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.7.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM.

Photo Settings: 16mm, f/16, 1/13 second, ISO 100.

Taken from a trip to Germany at around 7 PM. The wonderful colors of the sunset and the clouds covering the ground almost took away my breath. It was one of the longest sunsets i've seen so far, and one of the best for sure.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Nikon D600, Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR.

Photo Settings: 16mm, f/4, 1/40 second, ISO 200.

A modern sod-house in Iceland, where roofs are still made like they were two hundred years before.

Taken on my trip to Iceland in August, 2014.

Olympus OM-D E-M5.

An early morning just outside Madras, Oregon. A friend of mine has a ton of land here, and each time I go I discover another amazing view!

Sony a7rii, Canon 16-35mm f4L IS, Metabones v, Breakthrough Photography ND filter

Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop.

Photo Settings: f/16, 61 seconds, ISO 100.