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.
Sword of Orion taken from Timor Cottage, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, December 13, 2010. This is a stack of 5 x 7 minute exposures at ISO 800 with Canon 5D MkII camera on 77mm Borg astrographic lens at f/4.2 (~300mm focal length). Contain M42 and M43 the Orion Nebula; the Horsehead Nebula; and NGC 2024 the Flame Nebula.
The Coal Sack dark nebula next to the Southern Cross framed with a 200mm telephoto lens. The scene includes the open star cluster, the Jewel Box (NGC 4755) at left of Beta Cruxis (aka Becrux) at left, and the dimmer star clusters NGC 4609 (left of Acrux at bottom), Trumpler 20 (right of Becrux) and NGC 4349 (above Acrux). This is a stack of 4 x 2-minute exposures with the 200mm lens at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2500. Tracked on the AP400 mount,
