Ancient Bristlecone Pine and the Summer Milky Way, California

This exposure looks toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy, visible on summer nights in the Northern Hemisphere. The ancient Bristlecone Pines are the oldest living organisms on Earth. In the arid White Mountains of California, some have lived over five thousand years old. Higher up, these dead trees date back some ten thousand years.

At higher elevations, you encounter long-dead but photogenic spcimens that date back some ten thousand years -- a blink of time compared to the galaxy above.