This wallpaper is a composite of two 60-minute manually guided photographs using a 10-inch Meade LX200 (f/6.3). The Whirlpool Galaxy is known as M51 in the Messier catalog.

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)

Taken from Gornergrad, a rocky ridge of the Pennine Alps, overlooking the Gorner Glacier south-east of Zermatt in Switzerland.

I was like standing there and then like woah, all of a sudden there was this cloud reaching out and then it was like lit from below and I was like SNAP boom into my camera.

Moon for lighting, Photoshop, Manfrotto tripod, gloves.

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

Photo Settings: 19mm, f/2, 25 seconds, ISO 100.

Map: 45.9833, 7.7847

Mount Rundle is lit by the lights of Banff, Alberta against a starry background reflected in the calm waters of the Second Vermillion Lake. Taken in May 2016 on a late night excursion out into Banff National Park.

Adobe Lightroom CC.

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

Map: 51.1805, -115.6062

The Milky Way over Sedona, Arizona captured with a wide-angle lens. I took this after Thanksgiving when I borrowed this lens.

It is said that Tolkien travelled through the landscape of Switzerland to the Lauterbrunnen Valley, a deep valley that many people now believe was the direct inspiration for the valley of Rivendell, a place instrumental to events both in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

The name Rivendell itself means "Deeply Cloven Valley" and the Lauterbrunnen, with its steep sides and many waterfalls (72 to be exact), certainly fits this description, with the mountains of the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau lying beyond.

Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom, Color Efex, Turkey Bacon Avocado Sandwich.

Nikon D800, Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED.

Map: 46.6000, 7.9089

Fairydust, the CCC spaceship, leaves earth for it's way through the entire universe.

Created using Photoshop and Context Free.

This digital painting took what can only be described as a ridiculously long time to do. I hope you all like it. No stock or references of any kind were used.

Adobe Photoshop.

The Milky Way seen from Boundary Bay.

Delta, British Columbia, Canada.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM.

Photo Settings: 30mm, f/2, 15 seconds, ISO 640.