The galactic arch in balance - Atacama desert - Chile

In the Guatin Valley, at an altitude of 3500m, giant cactuses live in the extreme conditions of the Atacama Desert. These cactuses, nearly 7m high, form a ghostly scenery beneath the Milky Way of the Southern Hemisphere. This one points to Alpha Centaur, the star system closest to our Sun. The galactic arch extends from Sagittarius to the left, with the brilliant Jupiter, to the Carina and its characteristic nebula on the right. The globular cluster of the Centaur dominates over the Galaxy, while the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy to ours, is clearly visible on the horizon.