Splendours of the southern Milky Way from Vela (at top right) to Centaurus (at bottom left), including the Carina Nebula, Crux and Coal Sack, and Alpha and Beta Centauri. A part of the huge Gum Nebula is at far right. The False Cross is at right, with the large cluster NGC 2516, the Diamond Cluster, below it. The globular cluster Omega Centauri is at upper left. This is a stack of 4 x 3-minute exposures at f/2.8 with the 35mm lens and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2000. Median combined to help eliminate cloud that was moving in. On the iOptron Sky-Tracker.
The Carina Nebula, NGC 3372, above the Southern Pleiades star cluster, IC 2602. At upper left is the Football Cluster, NGC 3532. At left are the colurful nebula NGC 3603 and NGC 3576. This is a stack of 4 x 2-minute exposures with the 200mm lens at f/2.8 and filtger-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2500. Tracked on the AP 400 mount. Taken from Coonabarabran, Australia.
A mosaic of the amazingly rich area of Carina and Centaurus with their many superb nebulas and star clusters in this southernmost area of the Milky Way. The Carina Nebula (NGC 3372) is at upper centre; the Running Chicken Nebula (IC 2948) is at lower left (aka the Lambda Centauri Nebula). The small red and magenta nebulas at centre are NGC 3603 and NGC 3576. The Southern Pleiades cluster (IC 2602) is at bottom right. The Pearl Cluster (NGC 3766) is above the Running Chicken at left. The cluster IC 2714 is to the right of the Chicken amid dark nebulas. The Gem Cluster (NGC 3324) is above and right of the Carina Nebula but small and unresolved here. The Football Cluster (NGC 3532) is top centre, though partly lost amid the rich starfield. The Southern Crescent Nebula (NGC 3199) is at upper right. This is a mosaic of six segments, taken with the camera in landscape orientation, stitched with Photoshop to make a square framing of the area. Each segment was a stack of 4 x 2-minute exposures at f/2.8 with the 200mm Canon L-series lens and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2500. Tracked on the AP400 mount but unguided. Shot from Tibuc Gardens Cottage, Coonabarabran, Australia.
