Milky Way Over Salt Marsh with Lanterns

Starlight washes the sky in a dense band of the Milky Way, arching sharply over a flat, salt-crusted marsh at low tide. The ground reveals cracked white earth and shallow pools reflecting the stars. To the right, a harbor boundary glows with scattered lantern light, casting warm amber pools on the dry, brittle vegetation. Cold air hangs heavy, visible in the sharp clarity of the starfield and the stillness of the water. A wooden post frames the left edge, its rough texture against the smooth, crystalline salt flats. The lanterns create a pocket of firelit intimacy against the vast, dark expanse. In the foreground, a single shard of salt glints under the faint ground glow, marking the edge of the dry season marsh.