My very first photo of the Milky Way.

The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System. The descriptor "milky" is derived from the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye. The term Milky Way is a translation of the Latin via lactea.  It is difficult to see from brightly lit urban or suburban areas, so I have rarely seen it. It's very prominent when viewed from rural areas when the Moon is below the horizon. This photo is the Skyline Arch in Arches National Park, Utah.  It was my third try at shooting the Milky Way.  The first night it rained, the second night was totally clouded over and on this night the clouds abated for only a few minutes.  The arch was lit by Mike Taylor an experienced star and landscape photographer.

Canon 5D Mark III, Rokinon 14mm lens, 30 sec at f2.8, ISO 6400.