Meteors, Andromeda and the Milky Way Dazzle in Amazing Photo

Andromeda and Meteors from Tobias Lookout
Astrophotographer Casey James took this image on Aug. 2, 2014 from the Tobias Lookout near Kernville, California. The Milky Way galaxy arcs overhead, with the Andromeda galaxy and two meteors clearly visible. You can seen more of James' night sky photography on Instagram by following @caseyjamesphotography. (Image credit: Casey James)

The Andromeda galaxy appears to shine behind two stunning meteors in this amazing photograph captured by a veteran night sky photographer in California.

Astrophotographer Casey James took this image, which he entitled "Lookout," earlier this year on Aug. 2. He took the image from Tobias Lookout near Kernville, California.

"The city lights you see in the distance are from Porterville and Delano, California nearly 50 miles away," he wrote in an email to Space.com. James posts his amazing night sky photos on Instagram, where you can follow him under the name: @caseyjamesphotography.

In this image, the two meteors and Andromeda galaxy can be seen at the top of the panoramic view of the Milky Way, our home galaxy.

The Andromeda galaxy is the Milky Way's closest galactic neighbor and is the most distant object in the sky that you can see with your unaided eye. It is about 2.5 million light-years from Earth. But to see it, observers need extremely clear night sky conditions well away from the light pollution of city lights.

The spiral Andromeda galaxy contains a bulge of matter in the center surrounded by a disk of gas, dust, and stars that is about 260,000 light-years across, more than 2.5 times as long as the Milky Way. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, or about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion kilometers). Together, the Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies dominate the Local Group of galaxies.

To see more amazing night sky photos submitted by Space.com readers, visit our astrophotography archive.

Editor's Note: If you have an amazing night sky photo you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, please contact managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

Follow Space.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Space.com.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Contributing Writer and Producer

Nina Sen is a freelance writer and producer who covered night sky photography and astronomy for Space.com. She began writing and producing content for Space.com in 2011 with a focus on story and image production, as well as amazing space photos captured by NASA telescopes and other missions. Her work also includes coverage of amazing images by astrophotographers that showcase the night sky's beauty.