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2016 Australia { 132 images } Created 7 May 2016

A selection of images taken in Australia in March and April 2016.
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  • The region of sky around the South Celestial Pole, at left, and to the west at right. The two Magellanic Clouds are at centre, the Large one above and the Small Cloud below. The bright star Archernar is at top. At left is the southern Milky Way including Carina, Crux and Centaurus. The Carina Nebula is at upper left with the Southern Cross Below it and Alpha and Beta Centauri rising above the trees. The house is the Tibuc Gardens Cottage, my residence for my 2016 Australia astrophoto excursion. Yes, I left the light on!<br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 1.5-minute exposures at f/2.8 with the 15mm full-frame fish-eye lens and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 3200, with the ground coming from one of the tracked exposures to minimize trailing.
    South Polar Region (15mm 5DII).jpg
  • The deep southern Milky Way arching across the sky, from Puppis and Vela at upper right, to Centaurus at lower left. The two Magellanic Clouds are at lower centre, with the Large Cloud at top. The Small Cloud is just setting above the treetops with the globular cluster 47 Tucanae visible as a star below the Cloud amid the trees.<br />
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The Carina Nebula and Southern Cross are at upper left, and the paired stars of Alpha and Beta Centauri are rising above the trees at left. Canopus is at right, while Sirius shines through the gum tree at upper right. The faint red arc of the Gum Nebula in Vela can be seen at top in the Milky Way.<br />
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The scene depicts the austral autumn evening sky of late March from a latitude iof 30 degrees south.<br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 1.5-minute exposures, all tracked on the iOptron Sky Tracker, at f/2.8 with the 15mm fish-eye lens, and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 3200. The ground comes from just one of the tracked exposures to minimize blurring. Taken from the Tibuc Gardens Cottage near Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia on March 30, 2016.
    Southern Milky Way and Clouds (15mm ...jpg
  • The Dark Emu from aboriginal sky lore rising in the east, on a late March evening in Australia. The Dark Emu is a “constellation” made of dark lanes in the Milky Way. Here, his head and beak are at centre as the dark Coal Sack beside the Southern Cross. The Emu’s neck extends down along the Milky Way through Centaurus and into Scorpius, which is just rising here. Antares and the head of Scoripius are at botttom left above the gum trees, with bright Mars to the left of Antares. The glow at upper left is the Gegenschein.<br />
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This scene encompasses much of the splendours of the southern hemisphere sky, including the Large Magellanic Cloud at right, and the Carina Nebula, the red patch right of top centre. At centre is the Southern Cross, or Crux. Below it are the paired stars of Alpha and Beta Centauri. <br />
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The foreground is illuminated only by starlight, though when I shot this the last quarter Moon was about to rise and so was beginning to light the sky a deep blue.<br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 2 minute tracked exposures at f/3.2 with the 15mm full-frame fish-eye lens, and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 3200 for the sky, plus a single untracked exposure at ISO 800 for 8 minutes at f/2.8 for the ground to eliminate blurring. I shot the ground shot immediately after the last sky shot, by simply turning off the tracker’s motor.<br />
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Where the two images, tracked sky and untracked ground, meet there are blurred silhouettes of the trees. I used the iOptron SkyTracker.
    Dark Emu Rising (15mm 5DII).jpg
  • A 4-panel mosaic of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way and visible only from the southern hemisphere. The field takes in most of the LMC and its numerous nebulas and clusters. Notable is the Tarantula Nebula, NGC 2070, the cyan-tinted nebula at far left, surrounded by many other NGC nebulas and clusters. At right is the second largest and brightest nebula complex in the LMC, NGC 1763, dubbed the LMC Lagoon. <br />
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This is a 4-panel mosaic taken March 31, 2016 from the Tibuc Cottage, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. Each panel is a stack of 4 x 3 minute exposures with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrographic refractor and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Stitched in Photoshop.
    LMC Mosaic (77mm 5DII).jpg
  • The so-called “Dark Doodad” dark nebula in Musca, with the adjacent globular clusters, NGC 4372 below and NGC 4833 at left. I shot this from the Tibuc Cottage at Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia on March 31, 2016. <br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 6-minute exposures with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrograph and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600.
    Dark Doodad & NGC 4372 (77mm 5DI...jpg
  • The southern hemisphere sky setting in April 2016, taken at OzSky star party looking west in a stack of 200 frames, the last in the 450 frame sequence, and stacked with Ultrastreaks with Advanced Stacker Plus actions. The ground comes from a partial stack of 9 frames in the sequence. The South Celestial Pole is at upper left. Taken from near Coonabarabran, NSW. <br />
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Taken with the Canon 6D and Canon 15mm full-frame fish-eye lens. Each frame was 45 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 4000.
    OzSky Looking West (Ultrastreaks).jpg
  • The southern sky splendours over the OzSky Star Party, with the Milky Way from Vela to Centaurus, including Crux and Carina left of upper centre. The Large Magellanic Cloud is at lower right below Canopus.<br />
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This section of sky contains a large number of the splendours of the southern hemisphere sky. <br />
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This is a single tracked 2-minute exposure with the Rokinon 14mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2500.
    Southern Splendors over OzSky Star P...jpg
  • The Dark Emu of aboriginal sky lore rising in the east at the OzSky 2016 star party at Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, on April 2, 2016. The sweep of the Milky Way from Carina at upper right to Sagittarius at lower left just rising takes in much of the splendours of the southern sky. The Dark Emu itself is made of dark lanes in the Milky Way, with the dark Coal Sack at upper centre forming his head and beak. The dark lane through Centaurus forms his neck. At left is Scorpius rising, with Mars and Saturn to the left of Antares. The Small Magellanic Cloud is at lower right setting. <br />
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The Zodiacal Band and Gegenschein add the brighter sky at upper left. <br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 3-minute exposures, all tracked on the iOptron Sky Tracker, and with the 14mm Rokinon lens at f/2.8 and filter modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2000. The ground comes from one 8-minute exposure at ISO 800 with the tracker motor off taken right after the tracked shots. This provides the sharp foreground, with a photographer with the OzSky star party at lower right. The composite does leave some ghosly trailed trees at left and along the horizon. But I think this looks rather neat.
    Dark Emu Rising (14mm 5DII).jpg
  • The sweep of the southern Milky Way from Vela at far right, to Sagittarius at far left, over the grounds of the Warrumbungles Motel, near Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia at the 2016 OzSky Star Party. Some astrophotographers are in the foreground. Most of teh southern sky’s finest sights are in this view: The Southern Cross and Carina Nebula are at upper centre. Scorpius, with bright Mars and Saturn, is at far left. Mars is the brightest object at upper left. The Magellanic Clouds are at lower right, setting. <br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 3 minute exposures all at f/2.8 with the 14mm Rokinon lens and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2000. The foreground comes from just one of the exposures to minimize trailing. All shots were taken with the camera on the iOptron Sky Tracker.
    Southern Milky Way over OzSky Star P...jpg
  • Scorpius and Sagittarius rising, with Scorpius coming up on its side, as seen from New South Wales, Australia, April 2, 2016. Mars is the brightest object left of Antares in Scorpius, with fainter Saturn below the reddish pairing of Mars and its rival Antares. The cyan-colored blob at lower left above the trees is Comet Linear/252P, which passed close to Earth the previous month. Many nebulas and clusters are visible along the Milky Way around the Galactic Centre in Sagittarius, which is rising here.<br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 3-minute exposures with the camera on the iOtron SkyTracker, all at f/2.2 with the 35mm L-Series Canon lens and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. The ground comes from one other exposure taken imediately after the tracked exposures but with the tracker motor off, and exposed for 8 minutes at f/3.2 and at ISO 640 for lower noise in the sharp, brightly exposed foreground.
    Scorpius Rising with Mars, Saturn &a...jpg
  • 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. <br />
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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.
    Becrux in Southern Cross (77mm 5DII).jpg
  • Circumpolar star trails over the OzSky star party near Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, on April 3, 2016. This is a small annual star party attended by about 35 observers from around the world on a limited registration basis and put on by the Three Rivers Foundation in Australia. The view is looking due south here to the South Celestial Pole, with the southern Milky Way arching overhead, with Crux, the Southern Cross at top. The LMC is at bottom right. The field is filled with telescopes for observers to use to explore the wonders of the southern hemisphere sky. The stars are turning around the blank area that is the South Celestial Pole in Octans. This site is at a latitude of 32° South. <br />
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This is a stack of 49 frames, each 45 seconds at f/2.8 with the 15mm fish-eye lens on the Canon 6D at ISO 4000. The ground comes from three frames in the sequence. Stacked with Advanced Stacker Plus actions using Streaks mode.
    Star Trails over OzSky Star Party.jpg
  • The spectacular region of sky around the Carina Nebula, NGC 3372, in Carina, with its adjacent nebulas and open star clusters. NGC 3532, the Football Cluster is at left, while NGC 3293, the Gem Cluster, is at upper right. At far right is the ear-lobed shaped Crescent Nebula, NGC 3199, a remnant of a Wolf-Rayet star and its stellar winds. <br />
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This is a two-panel mosaic, with each panel a stack of 4 x 6-minute exposures with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrographic refractor and filter modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Stitched in Photoshop. Shot April 3/4, 2016 from Tibuc Cottage, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. Autoguided with the SBIG SG-4 guider.
    Carina Nebula Panorama (77mm 5DII).jpg
  • Alpha Cruxis, or Acrux, the brightest star in the Southern Cross, Crux. It is a blue-white star 320 light years away. This is a superb double star but is not resolved here. Small star clusters NGC 4349 (above) and NGC 4609 (at left) appear near Acrux. The area is also rich in dark nebulas near the Coal Sack.<br />
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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.
    Acrux in Southern Cross (77mm 5DII).jpg
  • Alpha Centauri, or Rigil Kentaurus, the brightest star in Centaurus and the nearest star system to the Sun. It is a pair of Sun-like stars 4 light years away. This is a superb double star but is not resolved here. The star cluster NGC 5617 appears to the right of Alpha. The area is also rich in dark nebulas. High haze added some natural star glows here — no filter was used.<br />
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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 5 minute exposures at ISO 1600.
    Rigil Kentaurus, Alpha Centauri (77m...jpg
  • The southern hemisphere sky rising in April 2016, taken at OzSky star party looking east in a stack of 200 frames, the last in the 450 frame sequence, and stacked with Ultrastreaks with Advanced Stacker Plus actions. The ground comes from a partial stack of 9 frames in the sequence. The South Celestial Pole is at upper right. The bright galactic core is at centre. Taken from near Coonabarabran, NSW. <br />
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Taken with the Canon 6D and Canon 15mm full-frame fish-eye lens. Each frame was 45 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 4000.
    OzSky Looking East (Ultrastreaks).jpg
  • The spectacular field of Messier 6 and 7 open star clusters in Scorpius, with M7, aka Ptolemy’s Cluster, embedded in the dense starfields of the galactic centre at right, and M6, the Butterfly Cluster, set against the darker dust lanes of the Milky Way. <br />
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I shot this April 4, 2016 from the Tibuc Cottage at Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, using the 77mm Borg f/4 astrograph for a stack of 5 x 6-minute exposures with the filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools actions.
    M6 and M7 in Scorpius (77mm 5DII).jpg
  • The spectacular field of Messier 8 and 20 emission and reflection nebulas in Sagittarius, with M8, aka the Lagoon Nebula below, and M20, the Trifid Nebula, above, all set in the rich starfields of the Milky Way. The diffuse nebula left of M8 is NGC 6559. Two globular clusters, NGC 6544 and NGC 6553, sit below and to the left (east) of M8. The Messier open cluster, M21, sits above M20. <br />
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I shot this April 4, 2016 from the Tibuc Cottage at Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, using the 77mm Borg f/4 astrograph for a stack of 5 x 6-minute exposures with the filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600.
    M8 and M20 in Sagittarius (77mm 5DII...jpg
  • A 360° panorama of the OzSky star party, April 4, 2016, at Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, showing the arch of the southern Milky Way, from Sagittarius rising at left, to Canis Major setting at centre. At right, the bright object is Jupiter, here in thin cloud, with the diffuse glow of the Gegenschein at upper right opposite the Sun. Some clouds are moving in from the west. South is above the trailer; east to the left side, north to the right side with Jupiter almost due north at its highest here. The Southern Cross is at its highest due south. The Dark Emu stretches from the Cross down into Sagittarius. The Large Magellanic Cloud is just above the tree left of centre. <br />
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This is a stitch of 8 panels, each with the 14mm Rokinon lens at f/2.8 and mounted vertical in portrait orientation. Each exposure was 2.5 minutes at ISO 3200 with the Canon 5D MkII, with the camera tracking the sky on the iOptron Sky Tracker. Stitched with PTGui software.
    OzSky Panorama #2 (Rectangular).jpg
  • A 180° panorama of the southern sky Milky Way, from Sagittarius and Scorpius rising at left (east), across the south in Centaurus, Crux and Carina at centre (south), to Canis Major setting at right (west). The Southern Cross is due south at its highest.  Mars and Saturn are in Scorpius at left. <br />
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The telescopes are with the OzSky star party near Coonabaraban, NSW, Australia, held on the grounds of the Warrumbungles Mountain Motel. I shot this April 4, 2016. <br />
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This is a stitch of 5 panels, each 2.5 minutes at f/2.8 with the Rokinon 14mm lens in portrait orientation, and Canon 5D MkII on the iOptron Sky Tracker to track the stars. Stitched with PTGui.
    OzSky Panorama #3.jpg
  • A 360° panorama of the OzSky star party, April 4, 2016, at Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, showing the arch of the southern Milky Way, from Sagittarius rising at left, to Canis Major setting at right. At top, the bright object is Jupiter, here in thin cloud, with the diffuse glow of the Gegenschein at upper centre opposite the Sun. Some clouds are moving in from the west. South is above the trailer; east to the left side, west to the right side with Jupiter almost due north at its highest here. The Southern Cross is at its highest due south. The Dark Emu stretches from the Cross down into Sagittarius. The Large Magellanic Cloud is just above the tree at lower right. <br />
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This is a stitch of 8 panels, each with the 14mm Rokinon lens at f/2.8 and mounted vertical in portrait orientation. Each exposure was 2.5 minutes at ISO 3200 with the Canon 5D MkII, with the camera tracking the sky on the iOptron Sky Tracker. Stitched with PTGui software with spherical projection.
    OzSky Panorama #2 (Spherical).jpg
  • The southern hemisphere sky moving from east (at right) to west in April 2016, taken at OzSky star party looking north in a stack of 200 frames, the last in the 450 frame sequence, and stacked with Ultrastreaks with Advanced Stacker Plus actions. The ground comes from a partial stack of 9 frames from the sequence. Taken from near Coonabarabran, NSW. <br />
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Taken with the Canon 6D and Canon 15mm full-frame fish-eye lens. Each frame was 45 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 4000.
    OzSky Looking North (Ultrastreaks).jpg
  • The southern Milky Way with the Dark Emu rising over the OzSky Star Party on April 5, 2016. This is the section of the sky and Milky Way that cannot be seen from northern latitudes. <br />
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The Milky Way extends from Puppis and Vela at top to Centaurus at bottom, with Crux and Carina at left of centre with the Southern Cross and the Carina Nebula at centre. The Small and Large Magellanic Clouds are at lower right. The South Celestial Pole is at lower centre. Canopus is the bright star upper right. <br />
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The telescopes are from the Three Rivers Foundation Australia for use by visiting amateur astronomers at the annual OzSky Star Party, held on the grounds of the Warrumbungles Motel near Coonabarabran, NSW. <br />
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This is a stack of 4 x 5 minute exposures with the Rokinon 14mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600, all tracked on the iOptron Sky Tracker, plus one 5-minute exposure untracked of the ground to prevent it from blurring. The trees are blurred at the boundary of the two images, tracked and untracked.
    Dark Emu Rising over OzSky Star Part...jpg
  • A mosaic of the main area of the southern Milky Way containing the best of the splendours of the southern hemisphere sky, from Puppis and Vela at top right to Centaurus at bottom left, and including Canopus and the Large Magellanic Cloud at lower right. Crux, the Southern Cross, and the Carina Nebula are at left of centre. The False Cross is at centre. Alpha and Beta Centauri are at lower left. Omega Centauri is at the left edge of the frame. The huge faint and red Gum Nebula in Vela is at upper right, as is the smaller Vela Supernova Remnant. The dark Coal Sack is left of the Southern Cross. The Dark Doodad is below the Cross.<br />
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This a 4-panel mosaic, each panel being a stack of 4 x 2.5-minute exposures at f/2.2 with the 35mm lens and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600, with an additional exposure taken through the Kenko Softon A filter for each panel also blended in to add the accentuated star glows. All taken on the iOption Sky Tracker from the Warrumbungles Motel grounds at the 2016 OzSky Star Party. Stacked and stitched in Photoshop CC 2015. The original is 8500 x 5400 pixels.
    Southern Splendours Mosaic.jpg
  • The galactic centre area of the Milky Way in Sagittarius and Scorpius rising over some of the telescopes of the OzSky Star Party, April 2016. The Milky Way extends up through Norma, Centaurus and into Carina and Crux. The Southern Cross is at top right. <br />
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This is stack of 4 x 2.5-minute exposures tracked plus one 2.5-minute exposure untracked for the ground. All with the Rokinon 14mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 4000.
    Centre of Galaxy Rising over OzSky S...jpg
  • The constellation of Scorpius with bright reddish Antares at top, with even brighter reddish Mars above it, and whie Saturn to the left of Antares. This shows all of Scorpius with Corona Australis and Ara below.<br />
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This is a stack of 4 x 3-minute exppsures at f/2.8 with the 35mm lens and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600, plus a fifth exposure of the same settings but through the Kenko Softon A filter for the star glows. <br />
Taken from the Warrumbungles Motel grounds at the 2016 OzSky Star Party, near Coonabarabran, Australia.<br />
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I present the image as a vertical portrait format image to depict the constellation as it is normally depicted, but in reality Scorpius was horizontal with the horizon off frame to the left here.
    Scorpius with Mars & Saturn (35m...jpg
  • Scorpius rising over a telescope and observers at the annual OzSky Star Party in Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia on April 5, 2016. Mars is the bright reddish object outshining Antares and to the left of Antares. Saturn is below Mars above the trees. <br />
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This is a stack of 2 x 2 minute exposures at f/2.2 with the 35mm lens, both tracked on the iOptron Sky Tracker, plus a blend of another 2 minute exposure through the Kenko Softon A filter to add the star glows, plus a 2-minute untracked exposure for the sharp foreground illuminated only by starlight. All with the Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. The camera and mount were set and polar aligned at this location for a 360° panorama and the difficulty of polar aligning down under prevented me from choosing a location with a better composition and foreground for this image. You don’t just grab the tripod and tracker to move it where you want and quickly re-align as in the north.
    Scorpius Rising at OzSky Star Party.jpg
  • A 3-panel mosaic of the Southern Cross, Crux, shot April 5, 2016 from Tibuc Cottage, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. Acrux, Alpha Cruxis, is the star at bottom and Becrux, Beta Cruxis, is the star at left, with the Jewel Box Cluster, NGC 4755, just to the left of Becrux. Gacrux is at top and Delta Cruxis is at right. The star cluster NGC 4349 is above Alpha Cruxis. The bright red nebula in the dark Coal Sack is Gum 46. The rich cluster to the right of Becrux is Harvard 7. The dark nebulosity at lower left is the Coal Sack. The small cluster embedded in the Coal Sack to the left of Acrux is NGC 4609, what I call the Coal Dust Cluster. Slight haze or high cloud added the natural star glows here. <br />
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This is a moasic of 3 panels, each a stack of 4 x 4-minute exposures with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrograph and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Stacked and stitched in Photoshop.
    Crux, Southern Cross, Mosaic (77mm 5...jpg
  • 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.<br />
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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.
    Southern Milky Way from Alpha Cen to...jpg
  • The region in the tail of Scorpius around the Cat’s Paw Nebula, NGC 6334, centred, with NGC 6357 above at the top and the tiny planetary, the Bug Nebula, NGC 6302, at bottom right. Shaula or Lambda Scorpii, is the brightest star at lower left, along with Lesath, the stars marking the stinger in the tail of Scorpius. <br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 6-minute exposures with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrograph and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII taken from the Tibuc Cottage, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia.
    Cat's Paw Nebula Area (77mm 5DII).jpg
  • The spectacular southern Milky Way arching over the OzSky 2016 star party near Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, in a roughly 240° panorama from southeast to northwest. The Milky Way extends from Canis Major just setting in the west (at far right), across the sky through Puppis and Vela (at upper right), through Carina, Crux and Centaurus (top), and down into Scorpius and Sagittarius rising in the east (at left), with the bulge of the galactic centre rising. The panorama takes in the complete extent of the southern hemisphere Milky Way. The Large Magellanic Cloud, the southern sky’s other great sight, is above the trees right of lower centre. The Southern Cross is at its highest due south at centre here. The huge bubble of the Gum Nebula in Vela is visible at right. <br />
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Mars and Saturn are in Scorpius/Ophiuchus at left, with reddish Mars to the left of Antares. <br />
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The telescopes and observers are with the annual OzSky star party held on this site in the austral autumn months, and organized by the Three Rivers Foundation in Australia. About 40 people attended this year, and attendance is limited. <br />
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This is a stitch of 7 panels, each a 2.5-minute exposure at f/2.8 with the Rokinon 14mm lens mounted vertically and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 4000. The panels were spaced at 45° intervals. The camera was on the iOptron Sky Tracker so the sky is not trailed but the ground is, but minimally at this focal length. Stitched with PTGui using fish-eye projection.
    OzSky Panorama #4.jpg
  • The southern hemisphere sky turning about the South Celestial Pole in April 2016, taken at OzSky star party looking south in a stack of 200 frames, the last in the 450 frame sequence, and stacked with Ultrastreaks with Advanced Stacker Plus actions. The ground comes from a partial blend of 9 frames in the sequence. The South Celestial Pole is at centre. Taken from near Coonabarabran, NSW. <br />
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Taken with the Canon 6D and Canon 15mm full-frame fish-eye lens. Each frame was 45 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 4000.
    OzSky Looking South (Ultrastreaks).jpg
  • The area around the centre of the Galaxy in Sagittarius, with the direction of the galactic centre at right just above the small red emission nebula, Sharpless 2-16, in the dark dust lane of the Milky Way. At left is the rich Sagittarius Starcloud with the small open cluster NGC 6520 at top next to the small dark nebula Barnard 86. The small globular clusters, NGC 6522 and 6528, looking like stars here, are just above gamma Sagittarii at lower left.<br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 5 minute exposures with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrograph and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600, taken from Tibuc Cottage near Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia.
    Centre of the Galaxy (77mm 5DII).jpg
  • The Parrot Head Nebula, Barnard 87, located here to the lower right of frame as the curled dark nebula shape amid the rich star clouds near the galactic centre region in Sagittarius. <br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 6-minute exposures with the Borg 77mm astrograph at f/4 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Taken from Tibuc Cottage, Australia, April 2016.
    B87 Parrot Head Nebula (77mm 5DII).jpg
  • The spectacular field of Messier 8 and 20 emission and reflection nebulas in Sagittarius, with M8, aka the Lagoon Nebula below, and M20, the Trifid Nebula, above, all set in the rich starfields of the Milky Way. The diffuse nebula left of M8 is NGC 6559. A globular cluster, NGC 6544, sits below and to the left (east) of M8. The Messier open cluster, M21, sits above M20. <br />
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I shot this April 6, 2016 from the Tibuc Cottage at Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, using the 77mm Borg f/4 astrograph for a stack of 5 x 5-minute exposures with the filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600.
    M8 and M20 in Sagittarius #2 (77mm 5...jpg
  • An observer gazes at the Orion Nebula in Orion, at the OzSky Star Party in Australia, April 2016. Note that Orion appears upside down compared to the northern hemipshere view. The telescope is a Dobsonian reflector supplied by the Three Rivers Foundation Australia. <br />
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This is a single untracked 13-second exposure with the 35mm lens at f/2 and Canon 6D at ISO 6400.
    Observer Looking at Orion from Austr...jpg
  • An amateur astronomer looking at a southern sky target below the Large Magellanic Cloud using a large Dobsonian telescope at the OzSky Star Party organized by the Three Rivers Foundation Australia. The Small Cloud is just above the treetops. Achernar is the bright star behind the ladder. Airglow adds some faint green and red bands to the sky.<br />
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This is a stack of 2 x 13-second untracked exposures with the 35mm lens at f/2 and Canon 6D at ISO 6400.
    Observer Looking at Southern Sky.jpg
  • An amateur astronomer looking at a southern sky target below the Large Magellanic Cloud using a large Dobsonian telescope at the OzSky Star Party organized by the Three Rivers Foundation Australia. The Small Cloud is just above the treetops. Achernar is the bright star behind the ladder. <br />
<br />
This is a single 13-second untracked exposure with the 35mm lens at f/2 and Canon 6D at ISO 6400.
    Observer Looking at Southern Sky #2.jpg
  • An observer at the OzSky star party looking south, with the northern sky behind, with Jupiter in Leo bright to the north.<br />
<br />
This is a single 13-second exposure with the 35mm lens at f/2 and Canon 6D at ISO 6400.
    Observer at OzSky with Jupiter #1.jpg
  • An observer at the 2016 OzSky star party looking south with Jupiter and Leo shining in the background to the north. High haze added the natural star glows. Note that Leo is “upside down!”<br />
<br />
This is a single 10-second exposure with the 35mm lens at f/2 and Canon 6D at ISO 6400.
    Observer at Dob with Jupiter & L...jpg
  • An observer at the 2016 OzSky star party looking south with Jupiter and Leo shining in the background to the north. High haze added the natural star glows. Note that Leo is “upside down!”<br />
<br />
This is a single 10-second exposure with the 35mm lens at f/2 and Canon 6D at ISO 6400.
    Observer at Dob with Jupiter & L...jpg
  • An amateur astronomer looking at the Large Magellanic Cloud with a large Dobsonian telescope at the OzSky Star Party organized by the Three Rivers Foundation Australia. The Small Cloud is just behind the treetops. Airglow adds some faint green and red bands to the sky.<br />
<br />
This is a single 10-second untracked exposure with the 35mm lens at f/2 and Canon 6D at ISO 6400.
    Observer Looking at LMC (Landscape).jpg
  • An amateur astronomer looking at the Large Magellanic Cloud with a large Dobsonian telescope at the OzSky Star Party organized by the Three Rivers Foundation Australia. Canopus is the bright star at top, made fuzzy by high cloud moving in on the last night of the star party. <br />
<br />
This is a stack of 2 x 10-second untracked exposures with the 35mm lens at f/2 and Canon 6D at ISO 6400.
    Observer Looking at LMC (Portrait).jpg
  • An observer gazes at a target in the southern Milky Way in Carina, at the OzSky Star Party in Australia, April 2016. The Southern Cross, Crux, and the dark Coal Sack Nebula are at top. Alpha and Beta Centauri are below, made fuzzy by high haze moving in on the last night of the star party. <br />
<br />
This is a single untracked 10-second exposure with the 35mm lens at f/2 and Canon 6D at ISO 6400.
    Observer Looking at Southern Milky W...jpg
  • An observer at the 2016 OzSky star party looking south with Jupiter and Leo shining in the background to the north. High haze added the natural star glows. Note that Leo is “upside down!”<br />
<br />
This is a single 10-second exposure with the 35mm lens at f/2 and Canon 6D at ISO 6400.
    Observer at Dob with Jupiter & L...jpg
  • The waxing day-old Moon beside the dome of the Australian Astronomical Telescope (AAT) at the Siding Spring Observatory, as shot from the Tibuc Gardens grounds. Earthshine lights the dark side of the Moon. This is a single shot with a 135mm lens and Canon 6D camera, April 9, 2016.
    Waxing One-Day Old Moon (Australia).jpg
  • A 360° panorama of the southern sky over the OzSky Star Party, April 2016, near Coonabrabran, NSW, Australia. Left of centre is the Large Magellanic Cloud, while the Milky Way from Scorpius (at left) to Orion (at right) arches overhead from east to south to west. At far left is the Gegenschein, while at far right is bright Jupiter in the north. Carina and Crux are at left in the Milky Way. The Dark Emu is rising in the east. The telescopes are supplied by the Three Rivers Foundation Australia. <br />
<br />
This is a stitch of 8 panels, each 2.5-minute exposures, at f/2.8 with the 14mm Rokinon lens in portrait mode, on the iOptron Sky Tracker, and with the Canon 5D MkII. Stitched with PTGui using equirectangular projection.
    OzSky Panorama #1 (Rectangular).jpg
  • The waxing two-day old Moon in the evening sky from Australia, to the right of the silhouette of the dome of the AAT Observatory on Siding Spring Mountain. Note the Moon looks “upside down” compared to the northern view of an evening crescent Moon. <br />
<br />
This is a single 1/2-second exposure with the 35mm lens and Canon 6D. Taken from Tibuc Road, near Siding Spring Observatory.
    Waxing Moon and AAT Dome.jpg
  • The waxing two-day old Moon in the evening sky from Australia, below the constellation of Orion in the twilight. <br />
<br />
This is a single 4-second exposure with the 35mm lens and Canon 6D. Taken from Tibuc Road, near Siding Spring Observatory.
    Waxing Moon and Orion (Australia).jpg
  • The waxing two-day old Moon in the evening sky from Australia, to the right of the silhouette of the dome of the AAT Observatory on Siding Spring Mountain, with the last of the sunset colours to the west at left. Note the Moon looks “upside down” compared to the northern view of an evening crescent Moon. Clouds are bloating the image of the Moon to look more like a quarter than a crescent. <br />
<br />
This is a 2-panel panorama with 3-second exposures with the 35mm lens and Canon 6D. Taken from Tibuc Road, near Siding Spring Observatory. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
    Sunset and Waxing Moon (Australia).jpg
  • Sirius, Alpha Canis Majoris, the brightest star in the night sky, in Canis Major.<br />
<br />
This is a stack of 4 x 4-minute exposures with the Canon 6D at ISO 1600 plus a short 1-minute exposure, both through the 106mm Astro-Physics Traveler telescope, from Tibuc Cottage April 10, 2016 on a partly hazy night.
    Sirius, Alpha Canis Majoris (106mm 6...jpg
  • Regor or Gamma Velorum, the brightest star in Vela, a hot blue star and a fine double, but not resolved here at this scale. <br />
<br />
This is a stack of 4 x 5-minute exposures with the Canon 6D at ISO 1600 and through the 106mm Astro-Physics Traveler telescope, from Tibuc Cottage April 10, 2016 on a partly hazy night adding the star glows.
    Regor, Gamma Velorum (106mm 6D).jpg
  • A 360° panorama of the southern sky over the OzSky Star Party, April 2016, near Coonabrabran, NSW, Australia. Below centre is the Large Magellanic Cloud, while the Milky Way from Scorpius (at left) to Orion (at right) arches overhead from east to south to west. At top left is the Gegenschein, while at top right is bright Jupiter in the north. Carina and Crux are at left in the Milky Way. The Dark Emu is rising in the east. The telescopes are supplied by the Three Rivers Foundation Australia. <br />
<br />
This is a stitch of 8 panels, each 2.5-minute exposures, at f/2.8 with the 14mm Rokinon lens in portrait mode, on the iOptron Sky Tracker, and with the Canon 5D MkII. Stitched with PTGui using Spherical fish-eye projection.
    OzSky Panorama #1 (Spherical).jpg
  • Gacrux or Gamma Cruxis, the top star in the Southern Cross, Crux, a reddish star and a fine double, but not resolved here at this scale. <br />
<br />
This is a stack of 4 x 5-minute exposures with the Canon 6D at ISO 1600 and through the 106mm Astro-Physics Traveler telescope, from Tibuc Cottage April 10, 2016 on a partly hazy night.
    Gacrux in Southern Cross (106mm 6D).jpg
  • The waxing crescent Moon in the evening sky from Australia, April 11, 2016, from Tibuc Cottage. Earthshine lights the dark side of the Moon. Aldebaran is the star to the lower left of the Moon in the tree branches.
    Waxing Moon Above Gum Trees.jpg
  • NGC 2736, the Pencil Nebula, or Herschel’s Ray, a part of the Vela Supernova Remnant, indeed the most prominent part. Other wisps of the SNR can be seen in the frame here. The red nebula below is RCW38. <br />
<br />
This is a stack of 10 x 6 minute exposures with the Borg 77mm astrograph at f/4 and filter-modified Canon 5DMkII at ISO 1600, taken from Tibuc Cottage, Australia, April 11, 2016.
    NGC 2736 Pencil Nebula (77mm 5DII).jpg
  • The Carina Nebula framed to include the double star Chi Velorum, at top, also known as the Southern Albireo, or Albireo Australis. The Gem Cluster, NGC 3293, is above and to the right of the main nebula. <br />
<br />
This is a stack of 5 x 6-minute exposures with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrograph and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Taken from Tibuc Cottage, Australia, April 11, 2016.
    Carina Nebula & Chi Velorum (77m...jpg
  • A mosaic of the region in the tail of Scorpius from the False Comet Cluster (NGC 6231), at left in the starclouds in the tail of Scorpius, to what I call the Dark River Cluster, NGC 6214, at right, an open star cluster contrasting with lanes of dark nebulosity. <br />
<br />
This is a two-panel mosaic, each panel a 4 x 6-minute stack with the Borg 77mm astrograph at f/4 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Taken from Tibuc Cottage, Australia, April 11, 2016. Stacked and stitched in Photoshop CC 2015.
    NGC 6231 to NGC 6124 Mosaic (77mm 5D...jpg
  • A mosaic of the Milky Way around the centre of the Galaxy in Sagittarius and Scorpius. The view of the Milky Way extends from Scutum at left to Norma at right. Sagittarius is below centre; Scorpius is above centre. At top is bright reddish Mars just above Antares, while white Saturn appears left of yellow Antares. Corona Borealis is at bottom of the frame. The Milky Way is dotted with numerous bright nebulas and star clusters, many Messier objects. <br />
<br />
This is a mosaic of two panels, each a stack of 4 x 3-minute exposures with the 35mm lens at f/2.8 and the filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600, tracking on the AP 400 mount. Each panel also has an image shot through the Kenko Softon A filter, and layered in using Lighten blend mode to add the star glows. <br />
<br />
I shot this April 12, 2016 from Tibuc Cottage, Australia. Stacking and stitching in Photoshop and Adobe Camera Raw. The Milky Way was nearly overhead when I shot this.
    Centre of the Galaxy Mosaic (35mm 5D...jpg
  • A panaoramic mosaic of the southern Milky Way region from the Coal Sack dark nebula and Alpha Cruxis, (aka Acrux) at left, to IC 2944/8, the Running Chicken Nebula, at right, with the star cluster, NGC 3766, above. The cluster IC 2714 is at the lower right corner. The star cluster NGC 4609 is left of Acrux, in the Coal Sack. <br />
<br />
This is a 3-panel mosaic, each panel a 4 x 6-minute exposure with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrograph and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Stacking and stitching in Photoshop CC 2015. Taken from Tibuc Cottage, Australia, April 11, 2016.
    Coal Sack to Lambda Centauri Mosaic ...jpg
  • Canopus, Alpha Carinae, the second brightest star in the night sky, in Carina the Keel.<br />
<br />
This is a stack of 4 x 4-minute exposures with the Canon 6D at ISO 1600 plus a short 1-minute exposure, both through the 106mm Astro-Physics Traveler telescope, from Tibuc Cottage April 12, 2016. Taken with the waxing crescent Moon up.
    Canopus, Alpha Carinae (106mm 6D).jpg
  • Hadar, Beta Centauri, the second brightest star Centaurus, and one of the southern Pointer stars. The sparse cluster at top is NGC 5381.<br />
<br />
This is a stack of 4 x 4-minute exposures with the Canon 6D at ISO 1600 plus a short 1-minute exposure, both through the 106mm Astro-Physics Traveler telescope, from Tibuc Cottage April 12, 2016. Taken with the waxing crescent Moon up.
    Hadar, Beta Centauri (106mm 6D).jpg
  • A meteor streaks below the Carina Nebula and the Southern Cross in the southern Milky Way. This is a single frame from a time-lapse and is a single untracked 30-second exppsure at f/2 with the 35mm lens and Canon 6D at ISO 3200. Taken from Tibuc Gardens Cottage, April 12, 2016.
    Meteor with Crux and Carina (35mm 6D...jpg
  • The Bug Nebula, NGC 6302, a tiny bi-polar planetary nebula in the tail of Scorpius, set in a nebula-rich field.<br />
<br />
This is a stack of 5 x 6-minute exposures with the Astro-Physics Traveler at f/6 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Taken from Tibuc Cottage, Australia. Not really enough focal length to do this object justice but I shot it to add to the files. Another bug in the collection!
    Bug Nebula, NGC 6302 (106mm 5DII).jpg
  • The centre of the Milky Way in Sagittarius and Scorpius overhead as seen amid the gum trees around Tibuc Cottage in Australia, April 12, 2016. The Dark Emu from Crux to Scutum is visible in its entirety. Mars and Saturn shine in Scorpius overhead. Zodiacal Light is beginning to brighten the eastern sky at bottom. <br />
<br />
This is a stack of 5 x 6-minute tracked exposures with the 15mm fish-eye lens at f/4 and Canon 5D MKII at ISO 1600. The trees appear to be swirling around the South Celestial Pole at lower right above the Cottage.
    Milky Way Overhead Through Trees (15...jpg
  • A 360° nightscape panorama of the Milky Way from Carina (at right) to Scutum (at left) arching over the paddock next to the Tibuc Gardens Cottage near Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, on April 12, 2016. The Dark Emu is visible in its entirety, from the head in Crux at right to his feet in Scutum at left. Scorpius with Mars and Saturn are at top left. Some green airglow tints the horizon. The ground is illuminated only by starlight.<br />
<br />
This is a stitch of 8 panels, each 2.5-minute exposures, all tracked on the iOptron Sky Tracker, with the 15mm full-frame fish eye lens (in portrait orientation) at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 3200. The sky is not trailed but the tracking has blurred the ground slightly. Stitched in PTGui software. The original is 13,800 x 3,800 pixels.
    Milky Way over Tibuc Cottage Panoram...jpg
  • A 360° nightscape panorama of the Milky Way from Carina (at right) to Scutum (at left) arching over the paddock next to the Tibuc Gardens Cottage near Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, on April 12, 2016. The Dark Emu is visible in its entirety, from the head in Crux at right to his feet in Scutum at left. Scorpius with Mars and Saturn are at top left. Some green and red airglow tints the horizon. The ground is illuminated only by starlight.<br />
<br />
This is a stitch of 8 panels, each 2.5-minute exposures, all tracked on the iOptron Sky Tracker, with the 15mm full-frame fish eye lens (in portrait orientation) at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 3200. The sky is not trailed but the tracking has blurred the ground slightly. Stitched in PTGui software with spherical projection. The original is 12,000 x 8,000 pixels.
    Milky Way over Tibuc Cottage Panoram...jpg
  • A 270° nightscape panorama of the Milky Way from Carina (at right) to Scutum (at left) arching over the paddock next to the Tibuc Gardens Cottage near Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, on April 12, 2016. The Dark Emu is visible in its entirety, from the head in Crux at right to his feet in Scutum at left. Scorpius with Mars and Saturn are at top left. Some green airglow tints the horizon. The ground is illuminated only by starlight.<br />
<br />
This is a stitch of 6 panels, each 2.5-minute exposures, all tracked on the iOptron Sky Tracker, with the 15mm full-frame fish eye lens (in portrait orientation) at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 3200. The sky is not trailed but the tracking has blurred the ground slightly. Stitched in PTGui software with fish-eye projection.
    Milky Way over Tibuc Cottage Panoram...jpg
  • Scorpius rises in the east as the last moonlight illuminates the gum trees and sky from the setting waxing Moon in the west. Mars is the brightest object just to the left of Antares, while Saturn shines below the Mars-Antares pairing. Scorpius is coming up on its side as this was taken from a latitude of 32° South. <br />
<br />
This is a stack of 2 x 30-second exposures for the sky and ground, both tracked, plus a 30-second exposure through the Kenko Softon A filter to add the star glows to make the constellation pattern stand out. All with the 35mm lens at f/2 and Canon 6D at ISO 1600. Taken from Tibuc Cottage, Australia.
    Scorpius Rising in Moonlight (35mm 6...jpg
  • Southern circumpolar stars over the Tibuc Gardens Cottage, with the foreground illuminated by moonlight. The Milky Way forms the brighter band running across the sky above the Pole. <br />
<br />
The sky is a stack of 388 exposures, each 30 seconds with the 15mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon 6D at ISO 3200. Stacked with Advanced Stacker Plus Actions using Ultrastreaks mode. The foreground comes from the first frame in the sequence when the waxing Moon was still up.
    Circumpolar Stars Over Tibuc Cottage.jpg
  • Scorpius rising just after moonset in a darkened sky, as it comes up on its side from Australia’s southern latitude. Mars is the bright object to the left of Antares, with Saturn below the Mars-Antares pairing. The direction toward the centre of the Milky Way is just rising above the treetops. <br />
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This is a stack of 2 x 90-second exposures, tracked, for the sky plus another similar exposure through the Kenko Softon A filter for the fuzzy stars, plus two untracked exposures for the sharpter ground, albeit silhouetted trees. The tree edges are blurred slightly where the tracked and untracked exposures meet.
    Scorpius Rising Behind Trees (35mm 6...jpg
  • The centre of the Galaxy region in Sagittarius rising above the treetops, with the rich starfields of Scorpius and Sagittarius clearly visible despite the low altitude in the east due to the very transparent Australian skies. <br />
<br />
I shot this April 13, 2016 from Tibuc Cottage, near Coonabarabran, NSW. This image is framed to be suitable for a cover image. <br />
<br />
All of Scorpius and most of Sagittarius is visible, with the constellations coming up on their side as seen from Australia’s southern latitude. <br />
<br />
Mars is to the left of Antares in Scorpius at top left, with Saturn below the Mars-Antares pairing. <br />
<br />
This is a stack of 4 x 2-minute exposures, tracked, for the sky, plus an additonal exposure through the Kenko Softon A filter to add the star glows to make the constellation patterns pop. The ground comes from another 4 exposures taken with the tracker motor off to minimize blurring. All with the 35mm lens at f/2 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600 on the iOptron Sky Tracker.
    Centre of Galaxy Rising Above Trees ...jpg
  • The centre of the Galaxy region in Sagittarius rising above the treetops, with the rich starfields of Scorpius and Sagittarius clearly visible despite the low altitude in the east due to the very transparent Australian skies. <br />
<br />
I shot this April 13, 2016 from Tibuc Cottage, near Coonabarabran, NSW. This image is framed to be suitable for a cover image. <br />
<br />
All of Scorpius and most of Sagittarius is visible, with the constellations coming up on their side as seen from Australia’s southern latitude. <br />
<br />
Mars is to the left of Antares in Scorpius at top left, with Saturn below the Mars-Antares pairing. <br />
<br />
This is a stack of 4 x 2-minute exposures, tracked, for the sky, plus an additonal exposure through the Kenko Softon A filter to add the star glows to make the constellation patterns pop. The ground comes from another 4 exposures taken with the tracker motor off to minimize blurring. All with the 35mm lens at f/2 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600 on the iOptron Sky Tracker.
    Centre of Galaxy Rising Above Trees ...jpg
  • The “Dark Horse” region of dark nebulosity near the galactic centre in Scorpius and Ophiuchus, also known as the Pipe Nebula. The small squiggly Snake Nebula is above centre. <br />
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This is a single frame, made of a stack of 4 x 3-minute exposures with the 135mm telephoto lens at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Taken from Tibuc Cottage, Australia, April 13, 2016.
    Dark Horse & Pipe Nebula (135mm ...jpg
  • A panorama mosaic from Alpha Centauri (at left) to Alpha Cruxis (at right) and the stars of the Southern Cross, Crux. Alpha and Beta Centauri are together called The Pointers because they point to the true Cross, to distinguish from the False Cross farther to the west. The dark nebula of the Coal Sack is to the left of the Southern Cross. The field contains several star clusters, including the Jewel Box, NGC 4755, to the left of Beta Cruxis <br />
<br />
<br />
This is a two-panel mosaic, each panel being a stack of 4 x 3-minute exposures with the 135mm telephoto lens at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Two other exposures taken through the Kenko Softon A filter were layred in to add the star glows. Tracked on the AP 400 mount. Taken April 13, 2016 from Tibuc Cottage, Australia.<br />
<br />
The original is 9,200 by 3,400 pixels.
    Alpha Centauri to Crux Mosaic (135mm...jpg
  • A panoramic mosaic of bright starclouds and dark stardust in the rich region of the Milky Way around the centre of the Galaxy in Sagittarius. <br />
<br />
This panorama extends from the tail of Scorpius at far right to Serpens at far left, with the bright Sagittarius Starcloud near the direction of the galactic centre at centre. The Milky Way here is populated by a rich collection of nebulas and star clusters, including - from right to left - the Cat’s Paw and NGC 6337 in the tail of Scorpius at right, the Lagoon and Trifid Nebulas in Sagittarius (left of centre), and the Swan and Eagle Nebulas in Serpens at far left. The Small Sagittarius Starcloud, M24, is at left, flanked above and below by the star clusters M23 and M25. The star clusters M6 and M7 are at right of centre in Scorpius, with M7 lost in the starclouds.<br />
<br />
The bright “clouds” are masses of stars. The dark regions are obscuring regions of interstellar dust hiding the more distant stars. The actual centre of the Galaxy near the centre of the frame is not visible here in this or any visible light image as it is hidden by dust. <br />
<br />
The nebulas at right in Scorpius are much redder as they are obscured by dark interstellar dust which absorbs the shorter blue wavelengths which add to the pink colours of the other nebulas which glow in red and blue wavelengths of hydrogen alpha and beta as well as cyan oxygen III wavelengths. <br />
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The mosaic runs along the galactic equator. I present this as a horizontal landscape image with north to the left and south to the right. This is the way you generally see this area in the southern hemisphere. But in the northern hemisphere this region of sky is seen running vertically from south to north, so the mosaic should be turned 90° CW to match that view. However, I shot this from Australia, on April 13, 2016 on a near perfect night for astronomy. <br />
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This is a mosaic of 6 segments, each segment being a stack of 4 x 3-minute exposures at f/2.8 with the 135mm Canon L-Series telephoto lens
    Centre of Galaxy Mosaic (135mm 5DII).jpg
  • The star cluster NGC 6231, called the False Comet Cluster, at left, with its associated nebulosity IC 4628, plus the cluster NGC 6242 above the nebula in rich starfields, contrasting with the large star cluster NGC 6124, at right, set amid the dark lanes of nebulosity. <br />
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This is a stack of 4 x 3-minute exposures at f/2.8 with the 135mm telephoto lens and filter-modifed Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Taken from Tibuc Cottage, April 14, 2016. Clouds moving in curtailed shooting this night.
    NGC 6231 to 6124 in Scorpius Tail (1...jpg
  • Mars (at top) and Saturn (at left) in Scorpius (or thereabouts - Saturn is technically in Ophiuchus) above Antares and the dark and reflection nebulas around Antares. The globular M4 is visible to the right of Antares.<br />
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This is a stack of 4 x 3 minute exposures with the 135mm telephoto lens at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600, shot April 14, 2016 from Tibuc Cottage, Australia.
    Saturn and Mars in Scorpius (135mm 5...jpg
  • Red rivals in Scorpius, with bright Mars above dimmer - and more yellow here — Antares below embedded in yellow reflection nebulas. The area is rife with colourful reflection and emission nebulas, making this one of the most colourfull regions of the deep sky. The hot blue stars of the head of Scorpius are at right.<br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 3-minute exposures with the 135mm telephoto lens at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Some light clouds were moving in. They likely add the glow around Mars.
    Mars and Antares in Scorpius (135mm ...jpg
  • The 8-day waxing Moon in clouds with a colourful corona in the clouds around the Moon. <br />
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This is a stack of 3 exposures merged with luminosity masks for an HDR blend to preserve some detail in the area around the bright Moon.
    Waxing Moon in Clouds.jpg
  • Orion above moonlit gum trees from Tibuc Cottage, Australia. Clouds provide the natural star glows.<br />
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A single shot with the 35mm lens and Canon 6D.
    Orion Above Moonlit Trees v1.jpg
  • Orion and Canis Major with Sirius at top, above moonlit gum trees from Tibuc Cottage, Australia. Clouds provide the natural star glows.<br />
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A single shot with the 35mm lens and Canon 6D.
    Orion and Canis Major Above Moonlit ...jpg
  • Orion above moonlit gum trees from Tibuc Cottage, Australia. <br />
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A single shot with the 35mm lens and Canon 6D.
    Orion Above Moonlit Trees v2.jpg
  • Crux and the Pointer stars in moonlit clouds from Australia. <br />
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A single shot with the 35mm lens and Canon 6D.
    Crux and Pointers in Moonlit Clouds.jpg
  • The southern stars and constellations of Carina, Crux and Centaurus rising above moonlit gum trees from Tibuc Cottage, Australia, April 15, 2016. The red Carina Nebula is at top. Omega Centauri is at left. The Pointer stars point up to the Southern Cross.<br />
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This is a single untracked tripod shot with the 35mm lens and Canon 6D.
    Crux and Carina Above Moonlit Trees.jpg
  • Canis Major and Sirius diving into the west above moonlit gum trees from Tibuc Cottage, Australia, April 15, 2016. <br />
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This is a single untracked tripod shot with the 35mm lens and Canon 6D.
    Canis Major Setting Over Moonlit Tre...jpg
  • The southern stars and constellations of Carina, Crux and Centaurus rising above moonlit gum trees from Tibuc Cottage, Australia, April 15, 2016. The red Carina Nebula is at top. Omega Centauri is at left. The Pointer stars point up to the Southern Cross.<br />
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This is a single untracked tripod shot with the 35mm lens and Canon 6D.
    Crux and Carina Above Moonlit Trees ...jpg
  • The waxing gibbous Moon in some cloud, over the forest and pasture landscape at Two Styx Cottage, on the edge of New England National Park, NSW, Australia.<br />
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This is a high dynamic range stack of 7 exposures, stacked in Adobe Camera Raw.
    Waxing Gibbous Moon from Australia.jpg
  • The waxing gibbous Moon in the evening sky in the northeast, with Jupiter to the left, over gum trees at the Two Styx Cottages near New England National Park, NSW, Australia. Clouds moving in provide the colourful lunar corona glow around the Moon. Lingering sunset colours tinted the clouds. <br />
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This is a 7-image high dynamic range stack, assembled in Adobe Camera Raw.
    Gibbous Moon over Gum Trees HDR.jpg
  • Sunset at Ebor Falls on the Waterfall Way between Armidale and Dorrigo, NSW, Australia. These are the New England Tablelands, but very different from the forests of New England, USA. These are primeval euclalypts, beeches and ferns – a temperate rainforest on the coastal Dividing Range of New South Wales. In this direction we are looking into Guy Fawkes River National Park.<br />
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This is a high dynamic range stack of 7 exposures to preserve the large range in brightness between the bright sky and dark forest. Stacked and tone-mapped in Adobe Camera Raw.
    Sunset Over New England Tablelands.jpg
  • The waxing gibbous Moon over Upper Ebor Falls, on the Waterfall Way, between Armidale and Dorrigo, on the New England Tablelands, in Guy Fawkes River National Park in NSW, Australia. This was in the austral autumn (April), so after a dry summer there isn’t a lot of water flowing over the falls. The Moon is rising into an evening twilight sky. <br />
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This is a high dynamic range stack of 7 exposures to preserve the range in brightness between the bright sky and Moon, and the dark ground in the dim twilight.
    Gibbous Moon Over Upper Ebor Falls.jpg
  • The waxing gibbous Moon in thin cloud over Ebor Falls from the Lower Falls viewpoint, on the Waterfall Way in NSW, in the New England Tablelands, in Guy Fawkes River National Park. This is an evening twilight image with the Moon rising into the northeast sky. The clouds are coloured with a diffraction-caused lunar corona effect.<br />
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This is a high dynamic range stack of 7 exposures to preserve the range in brightness between the bright Moon and dark ground.
    Moon in Clouds over Ebor Falls.jpg
  • Dawn over the rainforest of New England National Park, looking east to the coast of Australia from the New England Tablelands, and Point Lookout at elevation 1500 metres. This and other rainforest preserves in the area ar collectively called the Gondwana Rainforest as they preserve some tree species known to have existed in the days of Gondwanaland when Australia and Antartica were joined. I shot this at dawn on April 21, 2016. <br />
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This is a panorama of 6 segments, all with the 35mm lens and Canon 6D. Each segment is a 7-exposure high dynamic range stack to compress the range of brightness from the bright sky above to dark forest below. All stacked, tone-mapped and stitched in Adobe Camera Raw. Final processing in Photoshop.
    Sunrise at Point Lookout, New Englan...jpg
  • Sunset at the Headlands viewpoint at Woolgoolga, on the mid-North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, April 21, 2016. <br />
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This is a 16-section panorama over about 240° from northwest to southeast, with the 35mm lens in landscape mode and with a constant shutter speed. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
    Sunset at Woolgoolga Headlands Panor...jpg
  • Anti-crepuscular rays to the west opposite the Sun at sunrise on April 22, 2016, from the Headlands at Woolgoolga, NSW, Australia, overlooking the back beach. <br />
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This is a high-dynamic range stack of 5 exposures, stacked and tone-mapped in Adobe Camera Raw. With the 35mm lens and Canon 6D.
    Anti-Crepuscular Rays at Woolgoolga.jpg
  • Heather at the Headlands at Woolgoolga, NSW, Australia, at sunrise on April 22, 2016, overlooking the back beach. There is a pink glow visible to the west from the Belt of Venus effect.<br />
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This is a high-dynamic range stack of 5 exposures, stacked and tone-mapped in Adobe Camera Raw.
    Heather at Woolgoolga Headlands.jpg
  • A moody and cloudy dawn at the Headlands at Woolgoolga, NSW, Australia, taken after sunrise and looking northeast but little sign of the Sun itself this morning. But the clouds made a nice skyscape over the heather-covered headlands. <br />
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This is an 8-segment panorama with the 35mm lens in portrait orientation, with each segment being a 5-exposure high-dyanamic range stack to compress the brightness range. Stacked, tone-mapped and stitched in Adobe Camera Raw.
    Cloudy Sunrise at Woolgoolga Headlan...jpg
  • A small fishing boat heads out at sunrise on a cloudy morning, from the Headlands at Woolgoolga on the Mid-North Coast of NSW, Australia.<br />
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This is an HDR stack of 5 exposures, stacked and tone-mapped in Adobe Camera Raw.
    Fishing Boat at Sunrise.jpg
  • A cloudscape at dawn at the Woolgoolga Headlands, April 22, 2016.<br />
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This is a high-dynamic range stack of 5 exposures, stacked and tone-mapped in Adobe Camera Raw.
    Ocean Cloudscape at Sunrise.jpg
  • A sunrise at the Woolgoolga Headlands, NSW, Australia on a cloudy morning over the ocean, but clear sky to the west inland displaying anti-crepuscular rays converging to the anti-solar point. I shot this panorama April 22, 2016.<br />
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This is a panorama of 16 sections, each with the 35mm lens in portrait orientation, and Canon 6D. Each segment or panel is a 5-exposure high-dynamic range stack, making for 80 exposures in all for the HDR panorama. All stacking, tone-mapping and stitching in Adobe Camera Raw.
    Cloudy Ocean Sunrise with Crepuscula...jpg
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