Stargazers have been treated to clear skies and a spectacular view of the Milky Way at a popular ski resort. The galaxy has been visible across multiple nights at Charlotte Pass, a snow resort and village, in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales. Another clear night on Friday offered the striking view of space from Australia’s highest ski resort. Visitors wandering through the Kosciuszko National Park were rewarded with picturesque scenes of the galaxy containing Earth’s solar system. The elevation of Charlotte’s Pass combined with the clear winter night allowed a rare glimpse into a handfull of the Milky Way’s billions of stars. The ski resort is the closest village to Mount Kosciuszko and boasts a top elevation of 1,964 metres. Breathtaking images captured the bright stars glowing across the ski fields and galaxy clusters shining above the chairlifts. The starry night arrived just in time for the NSW school holidays and treated visiting families to a unique stargazing opportunity. NSW students will return to school Monday July 20. The Charlotte Pass ski resort has also been taking advantage of its cold winter weather and making snow at night to improve skiing conditions. The resort, which features 24 ski trails, has implemented a COVID Safe Operating Plan to continue to run within Government regulations. ‘Charlotte Pass Snow Resort has rolled out a series of wellbeing measures to help give our visitors peace-of-mind for their 2020 snow holiday,’ the resort said in a statement. The ski resort will enforce social distancing through 1.5 metre distancing markers on floors and information posters throughout public facilities. A limit of one guest will be permitted on each chair lift unless the people live together. Visitors wandering through the Kosciuszko National Park were rewarded with picturesque scenes of the galaxy containing Earth’s solar system Group and single lessons will also be available with limited class sizes to ensure physical distancing. All food and beverage facilities are open and adhering to the government guidelines of one customer per four square metres. Hand sanitiser stations are available throughout the resort and staff will undergo a daily temperature check. NSW ski resorts have been able to operate under government coronavirus guidelines but popular Victorian ski resorts have recently been forced to shut. Victoria’s Mt Hotham and Falls Creek ski resorts have closed until August 19 as the state battles a new round of coronavirus infections. Vail Resorts, which owns the two resorts and Perisher in NSW, says the decision to suspend ski-lift operations is ‘consistent with the current stay at home directions’ after sharp increases in new cases in the past weeks. ‘We did not make this decision lightly as we know our employees, guests and the communities where we operate have already endured so much hardship this year,’ said Pete Brulisauer, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Vail Resorts Australia. ‘We recognise this is incredibly disappointing to our guests and pass holders, including those who have made reservations at Hotham and Falls Creek this season,’ he said in a statement on Thursday. Mr Brulisauer said Perisher will remain open and is unaffected by the decision, operating in accordance with COVID-19 restrictions in NSW.