The treatment given to bring the stars out and make them more visible is indeed very eye catching. To be honest this image kind of confuses me when I look at it because you can't usually see the stars like that at sunset. The manipulation is very well done, the transition between day and night sky is very smooth and well presented.
"To photograph is to hold one's breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It's at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy."
~ Henri Cartier-Bresson
I think stars could have been less brighter in the left side of the photo because there's more light in the background over there... i must admit I wow'ed when i first saw it in big, it's a really cool edited photo