Beta Cruxis, or Becrux aka Mimosa, the second brightest star in the Southern Cross, Crux. It is a blue star 280 light years away. This is a superb double star but is not resolved here. Small star clusters NGC 4852 (at left) and NGC 4755 (at below left) appear near Becrux. The latter is the famous Jewel Box Cluster. The north edge of the Coal Sack apepars at bottom. The large cluster Trumpler 20 is at right. I shot this April 3, 2016 from the Tibuc Cottage, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia using the 77mm f/4 astrographic refractor and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII, for a stack of 4 x 6 minute exposures at ISO 1600.
The Belt and Sword of Orion, taken from home, Feb 1, 2013. Taken as part of testing of a Hutech-modified Canon 6D camera. This is with the 135mm lens at f/2.8 and is a stack of 2 x 4 minute at ISO 800 and 2 x 2 minute at ISO 1600. Some light haze moving in.
