Southern Winter Milkyway
Setting over Thunderstorm

 

            
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 Setting rapidly
            in the southwest shortly after the end of evening twilight, we
            bid a farewell to the Eta Carina nebula, the reddish patch on
            the horizon mid frame. Central in this frame is the Coal Sack,
            and above it the bright pair of Alpha and Beta Centauri. A dark
            thin nebula can be seen just to the left of the Coalsack in Musca,
            and the bright yellow "star" to the right of center
            is none other than the famous Omega Centauri globular cluster.
            

            
Along the horizon
            some layers of distant clouds, with a flash of reddish lightning
            on the left edge at the bottom. Fortunately, the storm did not
            move in, and we enjoyed a long night of stunning southern skies
            observing.

Lens:  Canon 17 - 40 mm L at f/4 @ 17mm
Platform:  Robotic Barndoor II
Camera:  Hutech Modified Canon XTi @ ISO800
Exposure:  10m
Filters:  None
Location:  Winton, QLD, Australia
Elevation:  260 ft.
Sky:  Seeing  8/10, Transparency 9/10
Outside Temperature:  70F
Processing Tools:  Photoshop CS2, Maxim DSLR
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