There are moments in Boulder, Colorado, when the familiar becomes extraordinary. Tonight’s Outdoor Picture of the Day captures one of those rare and breathtaking alignments: the iconic Flatirons standing silently beneath a glowing sweep of the Milky Way. By day, the Flatirons define Boulder’s skyline. By night—on the clearest evenings—they become a gateway to the cosmos.

Seeing the Milky Way above the Flatirons is uncommon, not because it never happens, but because it requires a perfect balance of conditions. Boulder sits close enough to urban light that truly dark skies are precious. To capture this image, the photographer needed a moonless night, exceptionally clear air, low humidity, and precise timing. Long-exposure photography reveals what the human eye can only faintly detect: billions of stars forming a luminous river stretching across the sky.

The Milky Way is visible above Boulder primarily from late April through early October, with peak viewing occurring June through August. During these months, the galactic core—the brightest and most dramatic part of the Milky Way—rises in the southeast after sunset and arcs across the southern sky. The best time to photograph it is typically between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., when darkness is deepest and the core is highest above the horizon.

Capturing a shot like this requires patience and technical skill. Photographers often use wide-angle lenses, fast apertures, high ISO settings, and exposures lasting 15–25 seconds, carefully balanced to avoid star trails. Many hike above the city lights, positioning the Flatirons as a grounded foreground against the vastness above—a visual reminder of how small we are, and how lucky.

Fun fact: the Milky Way contains an estimated 100–400 billion stars, and our solar system sits on one of its outer spiral arms. On especially clear nights west of Boulder, you can sometimes see a faint Milky Way band with the naked eye—something many city dwellers never experience.

Images like today’s remind us that Boulder isn’t just about mountains and trails. It’s also a front-row seat to the universe—when the skies align, and the night reveals its quiet magic.

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