Where the Milky Way Touches Earth

On March 19, I arrived at Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park in New Zealand, where the night sky is exceptionally well preserved. Aside from the stars above, there is virtually no artificial light. The brightest presence, both in the sky and on the ground, is the Milky Way itself.
The southern Milky Way rises directly from the horizon, shining with remarkable clarity. Even the intricate dark nebulae woven through its structure are clearly visible. On the right side of the sky, two faint, cloud-like patches stand out—these are the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud, iconic features of the southern hemisphere (in fact, they are entire galaxies).
Near the horizon, subtle hues of green and red glow softly—this is airglow, quietly revealing just how pure and transparent the sky is here.

Canon EOS R7 + SIGMA 8mm F3.5 EX DG FISHEYE

Four consecutive images were stacked using Sequator (v1.6.2r2)