Captured at Fort Fisher, North Carolina, this image shows the Milky Way’s galactic core stretching over a quiet coastal marsh and boardwalk while nearby Kure Beach and Carolina Beach add a soft glow along the horizon. The transition from natural airglow and starlight into artificial skyglow shows what even smaller communities can give up when outdoor lighting is excessive or poorly controlled. In that contrast, the image connects beauty and consequence: a reminder that protecting dark skies is not only about remote places, but about the choices made close to home.
