The Coal Sack and Jewel Box Cluster area on the east side of Crux, the Southern Cross. The Coal Sack, which to the eye looks like a large dark patch, under photography breaks up into small patches, the darkest just south of the Jewel Box Cluster, here just below and left of Becrux, or Beta Crucis. Other star clusters in the scene are NGC 4852 at top left, Trumpler 20 at right. and NGC 4609 at lower centre. The cluster at far right above Acrux is NGC 4349. The small intensely red area left of centre is the nebula Gum 46. The star at lower right is Acrux, Alpha Crucis. This is a stack of 5 x 8 minute exposures with the Borg 77mm astrographic apo refractor (330mm focal length) at f/4.3 and with the filter-modified Canon 5D Mark II at ISO 800. Taken from Coonabarabran, Australia, March 2014.
The Coal Sack and Jewel Box Cluster area on the east side of Crux, the Southern Cross. The Coal Sack, which to the eye looks like a large dark patch, under photography breaks up into small patches, the darkest just south of the Jewel Box Cluster, here just below and left of Becrux, or Beta Crucis. Other star clusters in the scene are NGC 4852 at top left, Trumpler 20 at right. and NGC 4609 at lower right. The small intensely red area is the nebula Gum 46. This is a stack of 5 x 8 minute exposures with the Borg 77mm astrographic apo refractor (330mm focal length) at f/4.3 and with the filter-modified Canon 5D Mark II at ISO 800. Taken from Coonabarabran, Australia, March 2014.
The Milky Way through Carina and Crux, with the Carina Nebula at right and the Southern Cross at left, and the Coal Sack beside the Cross. The Dark Doodad dark nebula streak in Musca is at bottom. The field is filled with dark nebula patches and streaks. This is a stack of 4 x 5 minute exposures at f/2.8 with the 35mm lens and Canon 60Da at ISO 800, taken from Coonabarabran, Australia, March 2014. An additional exposure through a dewed up soft focus filter and layered in Photoshop adds the star glows.
