Nights in shining panorama: Stunning images of dark skies seen from Earth revealed in global photo competition




Frozen in time, these scenes of pin-pricks in the night sky - as seen from Earth - look almost too surreal to be true.



But the ten images below, remarkable for their beauty, were in fact captured by photographers - and have been named the most vibrant and stunning photos taken across the world in the last year.

The competition, Best Night-Sky Pictures 2011, was organised by The World At Night and highlights just how incredible our planet is once the sun goes down.

Galactic view from planet earth: The central bulge of the galaxy - the brightest region in the Milky Way - is captured in the starry night of Australia by Alex Cherney

The organisers' criteria included a request for 'landscape astrophotography', or pictures of landmarks against the night sky.



Their aim is to bridge the gap between the natural and man-made worlds and the images and results of the competition can be seen at www.twanight.org



Among the winners was an image by Thomas Kurat that won the contest's Against The Lights category.

Stunning: 'Isfahan Milky Way' by Mehdi Momenzadeh scooped Second-prize in the Against the Lights category. The arc of the Milky Way rises above central Iran, and it is faded away in the northeast by the lights of the historic city of Isfahan

Bright skies: Ben Canales, won fifth place in the Against the Lights category with his portrayal of the clouds above an Oregon landscape, left. Meanwhile Grant Kaye won fifth place in the Beauty of the Night Sky category with Startrails Above an Alien Lake, right, taken at Mono Lake, California



It features twinkling stars over the Austrian Alps competing with the glare from the mist-covered town of nearby Lake Traunsee.

The fourth place in the 'Beauty of the Night Sky' category went to a photo captured by China's Xiaohua, which appears to show the Milky Way spread out across the Great Wall of China.



What makes this photo particularly eye-catching is the true contrast in what we see: our galaxy which still remains one of nature's great mysteries, and one of mankind's most notable achievements - the Great Wall.

Luc Perrot's panoramic shot below of the mountain view from Reunion Island's national park shows us more than you might at first think.

Picturesque: Beauty of Sourthern Sky by Luc Perrot won third place in Beauty of the Night Sky category. The band of the Milky Way arcs above volcano Piton de la Fournaise, Reunion Island

Mountains and valleys: Alps at Night by Thomas Kurat with the bright glow of the town near Lake Traunsee, Austria contrasting with the natural dark night skies won First prize in the Against the Light category

Aurora Borealis: Stephane Vetter's 'A Starry Night in Iceland' won first prize in the Beauty of the Night Sky category. The arch of the aurora shines over Jökulsárlón, the largest glacier lake in Iceland while the Milky Way is framed by the dancing ring of the northern lights The dazzling light is in fact Venus while Mars shines below and to the right. The bright stars Alpha and Beta Centauri are in the top left. The image, that won first place in the 'Against the Lights' category captures the light pollution from the small villages in the valley trying to burst out through the fog.

'Isafan Milky Way' by Mehdi Momenzadeh grabbed second place in the 'Against the Lights' category.

A tree appears to sway in the wind as the arc of the Milky Way rises above Central Iran, as it is faded away in the north east by the lights of the famous city of Isafan. For further information, visit The World At Night w ebsite, www.twanight.org . The Great Wall at Night: This oriental beauty by China's Xiaohua shows how Space is visible from the Great Wall of China

On the horizon: Third place in the Against the Lights category is a picture titled 'Lisbon Sky Lights' by Miguel Claro. Taken of and above the 25 April Bridge in Lisbon the long exposure used shows the stars and the crescent moon trail towards the west

'Venus Above Reunion Island': The dazzling light of Venus is captured in this panoramic mountain view from Reunion Island's national park by Luc Perrot who won fourth place in the Against the Lights category