Inspiring images of stars, planets and the moon taken from around the world

Our vast expanse of outer space provides endless star, moon, and planet gazing opportunities that truly define the term ‘otherworldly beauty’.

Accessible to anyone the world over, witnessing the majesty of the solar system, including the Milky Way, and its billions of stars and planets is a sight to behold. While many nights offer the chance to view the Moon in all its majestic glory, spotting planets and prominent stars in our solar system can be a little trickier.

Dark, secluded spots away from light pollution provide better planet and star-spotting opportunities than others; places like Chile’s Atacama Desert, and New Zealand’s Dark Sky Reserve are worth heading to for awe-inspiring night scenes. But wherever you are in the world, chances are you’ll be able to witness magical scenes in the sky on any given night, provided there’s not too much cloud coverage.

Mysterious, fascinating, and utterly mesmerising, here we take a look at some of the most inspiring images of stars, planets, and the Moon taken from around the world.

Inspiring images of stars, planets, and the hypnotic moon

Twilight Sky

Taken just after sunset, this wonderful image provides a rare glimpse of a two-planetary conjunction with the moon. Here we can see the Moon (with Earth shining) close to Venus, and Jupiter not too far off in the distance, a sight that happens roughly once every 12 to 13 months. The harmonious alignment is particularly exciting for anyone interested in spirituality and astrology since it symbolises emotional love, optimism and expansion.

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November Moon

Photographed on a Niko Nikon D850 in Georgia, one of Europe’s most exciting hidden gems for a break with a difference, this brilliant capture shows the moon in all its splendid glory. Rather than being snapped at night, this pretty photo was taken in the early morning allowing the bright blue expanse of the sky to really shine.

Milky Way of dreams

This magical image was taken from Rinjani Mountain, an active volcano in Indonesia on the island of Lombok. At the top of the volcano sits a 200-metre-deep blue lake in a crater known as Anak Laut (Child of the Sea) and it’s here that Hindus and Sasak tribe members take part in religious and spiritual ceremonies only adding to the beauty and significance of the image.

Rosy-hued desert

A long exposure was used to capture this image of the moon rising behind three isolated steep hills in Monument Valley, Arizona. Snapped around dusk, the rosy hues and wisps of violet-coloured clouds give the photo a surreal appearance as the bright white half-moon peeks out from behind.

Earth from space

This distant view of Earth in the galaxy captures the serene beauty of our planet in space, a view we rarely get to see but one that is so incredibly humbling. Suspended in a vast dark expanse and surrounded by stars, it’s possible to see Australia’s land mass and the serene blues and greens of our ocean.

Taj Mahal Moon

Here, the moon looks incredibly huge as it rises from behind the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, yet the moon is no bigger on the horizon than it is in the night sky; it’s an optical illusion that has baffled many for centuries. While we’re not sure how this happens, it certainly provides the most memorable photographs and this one is no exception.

Pink moon

Rising over Gran Sasso Laga, one of the largest national parks in Italy, this spellbinding pink moon truly captures the imagination. The moon often appears pink, orange or even red when it’s low in the sky, which is caused by the lowering sun rays but the full moon that occurs in April is also nicknamed the ‘pink moon’ after the abundance of pretty wildflowers that can be found flowering during this month.

Star light, star bright

This capture shows the vast scale of the hypnotic Milky Way in all of its glory. The galaxy is thought to contain around 300 billion stars and even more planets, a figure that’s as staggering as it is mind-boggling. Even more captivating is the fact that at the centre of the Milky Way is a super huge black hole expanse known as Sagittarius A*.

The red planet

While we don’t have images of many of the planets in the solar system since they’re too far away, we do have a selection of images of Mars, including this beauty that reveals the planet’s beautiful copper colour due to it being covered in iron oxide dust. Snapped from outer space, Mars is the seventh largest planet and interestingly boats the largest volcano in the solar system, known as Olympus Mons. Three times taller than Mount Everest, it truly is a sight and wonder to behold.

Magic mountainscape

A full moon rises over layer upon layer of the Carpathian Mountain range creating a whimsical effect for one lucky photographer. Typically there are 12 full moons a year, one for each month, but every two and a half years there’s an extra full moon - the 13th of the year - usually described as a blue moon.

Lunar formation

Covered in dust, pocked with craters, and scattered with layers of rocks, debris, extinct volcanoes, and lava flows, the surface of the moon is eerily photogenic when shot close up, as seen here. Many of the craters, including one that is more than 50 metres wide, were created by a stream of meteoroids, comets, and asteroids over the years.

Sunset shades

This panoramic view of Mount Everest and Makalu Peak in Nepal captures the beauty of sunset on the night of a full moon. Nepal, the gateway to the Himalayas, is believed to be the birthplace of Buddha meaning that full moon days here are considered holy and sacred, and will see devotees paying homage to Buddha through offerings and temple visits.

Cyclonic storm

The Great Red Spot - an anticyclonic storm system more than twice as large as the Earth - is seen here close up in the atmosphere of Jupiter. As one of Juliper’s most intriguing features, the red-orange high-pressure region is wildly beautiful yet creates winds with speeds of up to 265mph making it supremely deadly.

Blue Moon

Surrounded by a starry night sky, this image of a bright blue-coloured full moon almost doesn’t look real. While the name "blue moon" refers to the phenomenon of a 13th full moon in a year, which happens every two to three years (and doesn't have anything to do with the colour blue), this image most likely has a blue appearance due to dust particles in the atmosphere.

Natural display

In the depths of Nepal’s Sagarmatha National Park, it’s fairly easy to spot the Milky Way since there’s little light pollution and a vast expanse of night sky. Seen here over Ama Dablam near Dingboche village, it’s hard not to be impressed with this incredibly beautiful natural display.

Luminous supermoon

A full moon rises dramatically above the horizon, dwarfing nearby stars and planets in a landscape shot that is too stunning for words. The delicate layers of the mountain combined with an illuminated supermoon and endless pastel shades of coral, lilac, and teal prove nothing is as impressive as the natural world.

Ramadan moon

This slither of Moon was captured hovering over a mosque in Turkey creating a magical effect worth photographing. In Islam, the crescent moon represents God's guidance on the path through life and appears on the national flags of many countries, including Turkey.

Elusive Mercury

As the smallest and least explored terrestrial planet in the solar system, Mercury (seen as a very small dot) is captured transiting between the Earth and the sun in Van, Turkey. Formed around 4.5 billion years ago, Mercury’s surface is covered in craters of all shapes and sizes, the result of numerous comet and asteroid collisions.

Crescent symbolism

Adorned by pink clouds during sunset, this image of a crescent moon evokes images of fairytales and magic. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often depicted wearing a crescent moon on his head, and the symbol is used widely throughout Paganism. Even farmers are guided by the changing shape of the moon with a waxing crescent believed to be a good time to plant crops.

Majestic Jupiter

Taken from Sicily, Italy, with a 450mm telescope, this scene of the Milky Way shows a glowing Jupiter amongst billions of stars. As the largest and oldest planet in our solar system, it has a magnetic field 20 times stronger than Earth’s and represents adventure, travel, growth, and good fortune in astolological symbolism.

A new perspective

This view of planet earth from space gives an incredible perspective of the place we call home. First partially captured in colour in 1954, we had to wait a further 14 years for the first full disk image taken by a person in space, meaning photography of our humble planet is relatively new.

Saturn spectacle

Here Jupiter and Saturn shine bright above wisps of clouds on a perfect evening. As the second largest planet in our solar system Saturn was named after the Roman god of wealth and agriculture and is one of the only planets to be surrounded by rings, it also impressively has over 100 moons orbiting the planet. Its golden glow is not always visible, but here it puts on a striking display.

Yellow dwarf star

Arguably, the most famous star in the solar system is the sun, a glowing ball formed out of a 4.5 billion-year-old yellow dwarf star. As it dips behind the horizon each day, it’s worth reflecting on the beauty of nature, and how it can transform the dullest of days into one of warmth and brightness.

Partly illuminated

Covered in over 70% water, there’s no wonder the earth glows blue and green from space, harbouring some of the world's most impressive sea life, from whales to delicate jellyfish. As the third planet from the sun, our humble planet is the only one inhabited by humans and dates back an impressive 4.5 billion years.

Moon Lore

Taken in Tuam, Galway, Ireland, this dramatic image of a full moon behind a wind-bent tree conjures up images of folklore. Interestingly, in Irish folklore, it’s believed to be bad luck to sprinkle seeds on the night or day of a full moon as it’s believed the plants will grow weak and diseased. It’s also believed that sleeping directly in the gleam of a full moon can result in bad dreams or even lunacy.

Waning Crescent

Here, the planet Jupiter was captured traveling under the lower left side of an illuminated waning crescent Moon creating a rare and beautiful planetary scene for both astronomy lovers and photographers.

Mars ice cap

Looking more like a close-up of a painting than the surface of Mars, this detailed image shows one of two ice caps on the red planet and its iron oxide dust-covered surface. Moulded by the planet's fast swirling winds the ice caps form wonderful patterns that seem too beautiful to be real. Yet captured by NASA, the images provide a way to dive into the history of the curious planet's climate history. Fascinating and beautiful.

Overview effect

Only a lucky few astronauts will get to experience a view of the earth from space in real time and it’s been said that this experience can be transformational. Coined the ‘overview effect’, it’s said that when people witness seeing earth from space it can have a profound effect on their value systems, can cause great emotion, and can often provoke a deeper understanding and connection with the earth as a whole.

Southern Alps

This fantastical view of the Milky Way over the Southern Alps in New Zealand goes some way in documenting the sheer number of stars visible in our night sky. With low light pollution, the south island of New Zealand in particular ensures ideal star-spotting opportunities and impressive Milky Way views.

Heavenly globe

The very first satellite view of the earth came in 1959 and thankfully things have got a lot more advanced since then. Nowadays images are more detailed and there’s an incredible amount of satellites orbiting Earth, some believe the number has already surpassed 9,000.

Scottish nights

Snapped on Seamill beach in Ayrshire, Scotland, this pretty image captures the Moon and Venus on a beautiful winter’s eve. Home to dark skies and endless rolling countryside, Scotland makes the ideal place to head for star and planet gazing, with the best months for visibility falling between April and September.

Blue planet

Here, Earth is snapped from outer space on background of stars creating a magical effect. Tilted at 23.4 degrees, our blue planet orbs the sun at the speed of nearly 19 miles per hour.