Text by Hendricus Willem. Astrophotographer Evan McKay captured this striking panorama at the Putangirua Pinnacles in New Zealand, a dramatic landscape made famous as the Dimholt Road and entrance to the Paths of the Dead in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Rising above the towering rock formations, often likened to Gandalf himself, is the constellation Vela. The image reveals the vast Gum Nebula, the largest emission nebula visible in the night sky, with the delicate filaments of the Vela Supernova Remnant glowing at its heart. McKay combined specialised duoband data with full-colour exposures to reveal the faint clouds of gas and the remains of an exploded star, while keeping the colours of the night sky looking natural. The result is a remarkable meeting of two worlds, one of New Zealand’s most iconic cinematic landscapes beneath one of the most spectacular regions of the southern night sky.