1996 Southern Sky Astrophotography

Milky Way from
Sagittarius through Centaurus
(96SS43w)

Interstellar dust lanes and countless stars make up the central Milky Way through Sagittarius (left) and extenting into Centaurus (right).

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
16mm f/2.8 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 40 minutes @ f/2.8
Photo ©1996 by Fred Espenak

Southern
Milky Way
(96SS25w)

The Milky Way forms a river of light as it arcs across sky above Lake Titicaca (12,000 feet above sea-level).

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
16mm f/2.8 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 30 minutes @ f/2.8
Photo ©1996 by Fred Espenak

Centaurus, Crux
and Carina
(96SS70w)

Perhaps the most classic and characteristic portrait of the southern heavens includes Alpha and Beta Centaurus, Crux (Southern Cross) and Carina.

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
50mm f/1.8 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 30 minutes @ f/2.8
Photo ©1996 by Fred Espenak

Southern Cross
(96SS07w)

The symbol of the southern hemisphere sky, the Southern Cross (Crux) contains a dark cloud of dust called the Coal Sack. It blocks out many of the stars behind it making it appear like a hole in the southern Milky Way.

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
105mm f/2.5 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 20 minutes @ f/2.8
Photo ©1996 by Fred Espenak

Western Sagittarius
and M8
(96SS14w)

The zodiacal constellation of Sagittarius contains the central hub of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Rich in stars and dust, it also lays claim to the M8 nebula which glows in the red light of hydrogen gas and is a nursery where new stars are born.

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
180mm f/2.8 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 20 minutes @ f/2.8
Photo ©1996 by Fred Espenak

Star Cluster M7
(96SS31w)

(photo caption)

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
180mm f/2.8 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 20 minutes @ f/2.8
Photo ©1996 by Fred Espenak

Heart of
Milky Way
(96SS34w)

The central core of the Milky Way Galaxy runs through Sagittarius.

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
85mm f/2 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 20 minutes @ f/2.8
Photo ©1996 by Fred Espenak

Scorpius and
Milky Way Star Clouds
(96SS46w)

(photo caption)

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
50mm f/1.8 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 30 minutes @ f/2.8
Photo ©1996 by Fred Espenak

Centaurus and Crux
(96SS51w)

If any constellations symbolized the southern heavens, they are the pointer stars (Alpha and Beta) of Centaurus and the Southern Cross (Crux).

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
85mm f/2 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 30 minutes @ f/2.8
Photo ©1996 by Fred Espenak

Aquila and Cygnus
(96SS65w)

The Milky Ways brilliance gradually diminishes as we look from the constellation Aquila (right) to Cygnus (left).

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
50mm f/1.8 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 30 minutes @ f/2.8
Photo ©1996 by Fred Espenak

Core of
the Galaxy
(96SS73w)

The central core of the Milky Way Galaxy runs through the constellation Sagittarius. From Lake Titicaca, it passes directly overhead at midnight in June.

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
105mm f/2.5 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 30 minutes @ f/2.8
Photo ©1996 by Fred Espenak