Combination of 10, 30 second exposures.
Modified Canon Digital Rebel DSLR camera. 55mm Canon lens at f/5.6.
Image taken in bright moonlight.
Probably the most famous of all the southern constellations is Crux Australis - The Southern Cross. Although the smallest of all the constellations, it has the highest concentration of bright stars of any constellation. Three of the 4 stars forming the cross are brighter than Belatrix, the third brightest star in Orion. With a number of bright open clusters and numerous beautiful double stars, the Southern Cross can easily occupy many hours of telescopic observation time.
In this image, the Southern Cross is just to the right of centre. The large dark region close to the centre is the famous dark nebula, the Coal Sack. On the eastern (left) side of the Coal Sack is the emission nebula, Ced 122, while to the right (west) of the Southern Cross is the emission nebula IC 2948. To the south of the Southern Cross is the constellation Musca. The main stars of this constellation are in the shape of a trapezium.
