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The Milky Way appears over a mountain in the Valle de la Luna in the Atacama Desert, considered the driest place on earth on August 26, 2022 near San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. The extreme aridity makes the Atacama Desert one of the clearest places on earth to view the night sky. Much of the region receives less than half an inch of rainfall per year, and some areas none at all for hundreds of years. Located in Chile's northern third between two mountain ranges, the Atacama is possibly the oldest desert on earth, experiencing extreme aridity for at least 3 million years. The area is home to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope. The Valley of the Moon is so called because of its lunar and even Mars-like appearance. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images,)
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