The Milky Way, visible over Manhattan — if you know how to look

New York City's lights famously drown out the stars, yet astrophotographers Jason Kurth and Ty Buckley coaxed the Milky Way into view above Manhattan anyway. Their trick, featured as NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day, is a filter that blocks most ordinary light and captures only near-infrared — the glow in which stars shine brightly while most city bulbs fade. The result is a portrait of the galaxy arching over one of the brightest cities on Earth, and a reminder that the same sky hangs over everyone.