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In August 2023, a rare hurricane named Hilary arrived in Southern California. The strong winds and rainstorms brought swept across Death Valley National Park. The lowest point in North America named Badwate Basin which is originally a dry salt lake became a temporary lake full of water. Last year's rainy winter allowed the Badwate Basin to continue to be filled with water.

This rare water in the lake having the reflection of the mountain with the Milky Way at night makes an interesting picture. We came here twice to shoot the scene. The first time, it was windy at night and the reflection of the mountain was not clear. The second time we had to wait until the moon went down to shoot the Milky Way.

Because this is a national park, occasionally people drive by the foot of the mountain at late night, which influences long exposure shots. Fortunately, no cars passed by when we took the photos. This photo is composited with multiple stitching pictures. In general, it is not suitable to shoot the Milky Way in Death Valley National Park during summer, because the temperature here is very high at night, and the evaporating hot steam will affect the clarity of the Milky Way.

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