Stunning shot captured in one of world’s darkest places shows mesmerizing Milky Way

By Ellie Forbes via SWNS

This stunning shot shows the Milky Way above a loch - in one of the darkest places in the United Kingdom and world.

Craig McComb, 41, snapped the picture at Loch Doon at the Galloway Forrest dark sky park, in freezing conditions.

The joiner from Auchinleck, Scotland, set his alarm for 2 A.M. and headed off to get the picture which he took just before 5 A.M.

Dad-of-four Craig had hoped to picture the Milky Way above Loch Doon Castle but saw it was fenced off.

He decided to trek another half an hour over rough terrain to picture it over the loch instead.

Craig picked a spot next to a waterfall and waited for the Milky Way core to rise – but said it was so cold his camera gear started to freeze up.

Craig said: “I set my alarm for 2 A.M. on Saturday morning (March 5) ready to go shoot the Milky Way, knowing it rose around 4.45 A.M.

“I jumped in car and headed to the Galloway Forest Park.

“On route as usual I’m thinking about composition and where exactly I’d shoot the Milky Way.

“I settled on Loch Doon Castle, but when I got there, and to my surprise, the castle was all fenced off.

“Undeterred I headed further up the loch to the next parking area and jumped out car at 3.30am.

“It a few degrees below freezing but I grabbed my backpack of camera gear and headed out in the pitch black.

“I walked for half an hour over rough ground to get to a location where I could get a reflection shot in the water.

“I came across a good spot next to the waterfall, took a few test shots and waited on the Milky Way core rising.

“In that time my camera gear starting frosting up, my backpack also froze over.

“At 4.45 A.M. I was ready to start shooting.

“I set up for 10 continuous shots one after the other and shot like that until 5.05 A.M. when the first light started appearing and by then it was too light.”