The deep south Milky Way from Alpha and Beta Centauri (at left) to the False Cross in Vela and Carina (at right). At centre is the Carina Nebula and the Southern Cross, Crux, with the dark Coal Sack. Omega Centauri is the bright “star” at upper left. The large naked eye star cluster at lower right below the False Cross is NGC 2516. This is a stack of 5 x 4 minute exposures at f/2.8 with the 35mm Canon L-series lens and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1000, with an additional similar exposure layered in taken through the Kenko Softon A filter to provide the star glows. Tracked on the iOptron Sky Tracker. Taken from the Warrumbungles Motel grounds at the 2016 Oz Sky Star Party, April 5.
The amazing area of the southern Milky Way in Carina and Crux, the brightest part of the Milky Way after the galactic core region. At right is the Carina Nebula, with the Southern Pleiades cluster, IC 2602, below it. The Football Cluster, NGC 3532, is at upper left of the Carina Nebula. At centre is the region of Lambda Centauri, with the star cluster NGC 3766, the Pearl Cluster, above the emission nebulosity. At left is the Southern Cross, with the dark Coal Sack at bottom left of the Cross, with thin tendrils extending to the right. To the left of Alpha Cruxis at the bottom of the Cross is the star cluster NGC 4609; aboive Alpha is NGC 4649. To the left of Beta Cruxis at the left side of the Cross is the Jewel Box Cluster, NGC 4755. This is a stack of 6 x 2.5-minute exposures with the 85mm Rokinon lens at f/2 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2000, plus one exposure layered in that had some natural haze from high cloud to add the accentuated star glows. On the iOptron Sky-Tracker, from Tibuc Gardens Cottage at Coonabarabran, Australia.
