The formation of dark lanes called the Dark Emu in Australian aboriginal sky lore, seen here in its entirety with it overhead in the April pre-dawn sky. The head is at right in Crux, as the Coal Sack, the body is around the Galactic Centre, the tail is at left in Scutum. Some airglow discolours the sky. This is a stack of 5 x 2.5-minute exposures with the 14mm Rokinon lens at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. On the iOptron Sky-Tracker. From Tibuc Gardens Cottage near Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, Aoril 28, 2017.
A mosaic panorama of the rich Galactic Centre region of the Milky Way in Scorpius and Sagittarius, from Messier 16, at left, to the False Comet region, at right. This is the most spectacular region of sky, with its dense bright star clouds contrasting with the swirls of dark dusty nebulas. The region includes the Lagoon Nebula, left of centre, and the Cat’s Paw Nebula, right of centre, and the large Pipe Nebula, at top centre. The actual centre of the Milky Way lies at the centre of the frame, though thr true centre is out of sight hidden by dust clouds. This is a mosaic of 3 segments, each 5 x 2-minute exposures with the Rokinon 85mm lens at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2500. Tracked on the iOptron Sky Tracker. Shot from Tibuc Gardens Cottage at Coonabarabran, Australia, April 2017.
The Milky Way through the region of the tail of Scorpius and up into Sagittarius, photographed with it high in the sky from Australia. At bottom are the red nebulas of NGC 6334, the Cat’s Paw, and NGC 6357 (sometimes called the Lobster Nebula, for a “Paws and Claws” pairing). The clusters Messier 6 and Messier 7 are at left, below centre, with M7 lost in the star clouds of the Milky Way. The Galactic Centre lies at left centre. The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulas, M8 and M20, are at top left. Saturn is the bright star at top centre. The Dark Horse region of dark dust is at right, with the darkest part below being the Pipe Nebula, B78. This is a stack of 5 x 2-minute exposures at f/2.8 with the Rokinon 85mm lens, and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2500. Taken from Tibuc Gardens Cottage near Coonabarabran, Australia. The image could be turned 90° CCW to better resemble its orientation in the sky in which it was photographed in the southern hemisphere, This orientation matches the view in the northern hemisphere.