Splendours of the southern Milky Way from Vela (at top right) to Centaurus (at bottom left), including the Carina Nebula, Crux and Coal Sack, and Alpha and Beta Centauri. A part of the huge Gum Nebula is at far right. The False Cross is at right, with the large cluster NGC 2516, the Diamond Cluster, below it. The globular cluster Omega Centauri is at upper left. This is a stack of 4 x 3-minute exposures at f/2.8 with the 35mm lens and filter-modified canon 5D MkII at ISO 2000. Median combined to help eliminate cloud that was moving in. On the iOptron Sky-Tracker.
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.
A wide-angle image of the main northern spring sky constellations — with the Big Dipper and Ursa Major at top, and Leo below it. At left is Arcturus in Bootes and at bottom left, Spica in Virgo. Leo is flanked by two large star clusters: Mel111, the Coma Berenices cluster at left of Leo (but in the centre of the image), and M44, the Beehive cluster at right of Leo in Cancer (at lower right in the image). This is a good image for illustrating the "Arc to Arcturus and Speed to Spica" expression, as well as the placement of Leo below the Bowl of the Dipper. And the location of the North Galactic Pole and Realm of the Galaxies. This is a stack of 4 x 2.5 minute exposures with the RF15-35mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800. The camera was on the Star Adventurer 2i tracker. Taken from home April 27, 2022.
