Shot under Bortle 1 skies in Big Bend National Park along the Texas/Mexico border. (The Bortle scale measures light pollution with 1 being darkest and 9 – think Times Square – being the brightest. While the Milky Way is incredibly bright under Bortle 1 skies – like a glowing cloud that stretches across the sky and even casts shadows – the color and detail are only possible with long exposures.
Gear: camera – Sony A7iii (astromod), lens – Sony 50mm GM; ISO800, f/1.8, 60sx49 exposures on a Star Adventurer star tracker. Processed in AstroPixelProcessor, Pixinsight and Adobe LightRoom.
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To see how dark the skies are where you live (and how far you need to go to find darker skies) check out this map.
Finally, to learn more about how to reduce light pollution so we can all see the stars better (and save animals!) as well as dark sky parks near you, check out the International Dark-Sky Association
EDIT: Comparison to single unprocessed exposure can be found here.