Réunion Island Photo: Milky Way Over Piton De l'Eau By Luc Perrot Is Stunning (PHOTO)

Luc Perrot, a physical therapist and astrophotographer based on Réunion Island, a French territory off the coast of eastern Africa, had to wait two years for the perfect conditions to snap this amazing photo of the Milky Way.

The photograph, which is actually 12 images stitched together, shows the Milky Way over Piton de l'Eau, a volcanic crater lake on the small island. In the background is Piton des Neiges, which at more than 10,000 feet is the highest mountain on Réunion Island.

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The picture, taken earlier this month, was featured as NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day.

Perrot told HuffPost in an email that the secret to getting a great shot like this lies in knowing your subject, which in this case is, of course, the sky. "It is also essential to master astronomy to anticipate the movement of the stars," he said.

"Photographing the night sky makes me feel like a magician," Perrot wrote. "It reveals to the world the immensity of our universe."

Perrot has lived on Réunion Island since 1999. He recently took third place in The World At Night's 2012 Earth & Sky Photo Contest.

Visit Perrot's website or Facebook page to see more photos.

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