23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest The American Experience
Hold still Uncle Mike for 25 seconds. I think I got something!

My nephew Ben Phillippe took this photo of me looking into the depths of the Milky Way late at night in front of our cabin along the Manistee River in Northern Michigan. He said to me, “Hold still “Uncle Mike” for 25 seconds, I think I got something.”

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 08.2024
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: Kalkaska, Michigan, United States of America
Copyright: © Michael Champion