1997 Southern Sky Astrophotography

Large & Small
Magellanic Clouds
(97SS84w)

The Magellanic Clouds are actually small satellite galaxies of our own Milky Way. They at a distance of about 200,000 light years.

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
50mm f/1.8 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 12 minutes @ f/2.8
Photo ©1997 by Fred Espenak

Lagoon Nebula &
Sagittarius
(97SS28w)

The constellation of Sagittarius is bereft with star clouds, obscurring dust ang glowing nebulae like the Lagoon Nebula (M8).

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
180mm f/2,8 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 12 minutes @ f/2.8
Photo ©1997 by Fred Espenak

Alpha Sco
and Rho Oph (97SS04+05w)

Dust and gas surrounding the stars Alpha Sco and Rho Oph are illuminated by their brilliance.Alpha Sco (Antares) is a red super giant star about 700 times the diameter of the Sun. Its distance is 520 light years.

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
400mm f/3.5 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 25 minutes @ f/3.5 (composite of two shots)
Photo ©1997 by Fred Espenak

Milky Way Over Titicaca
(97SS58w)

The southern Milky Way rises above a reel hut on the shore of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia (12,000 feet).

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
16mm f/2.8 Nikkor Fish Eye, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 24 minutes @ f/2.8
Photo ©1997 by Fred Espenak

Trifid Nebula
(97SS14M20w)

Three bright and irregular nebule give the Trifid Nebula its unusual name. It lies about 4500 light years away.The nearby star cluster (upper left) is M21.

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
AstroPhysics 105EDT (fl=620mm) f/5.9, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 25 minutes @ f/5.9
Photo ©1997 by Fred Espenak

Large Magellanic Cloud - II
(97SS86+87w)

To the naked eye, the Large Magellanic Cloud appears to be a misplaced piece of the Milky Way. In reality, it is a satellite galaxy of our own. The LMC lies at a distance of 190,000 light years and is composed of approximately 25 billion stars.

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
105mm f/2.8 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 8 minutes @ f/2.8 (composite of two shots)
Photo ©1997 by Fred Espenak

All Sky Milky Way - II
(97SS56w)

A 180º fish-eye lens captures the entire sky with the center of the Milky Way passing near the zenith. The bright star near center is the planet Jupiter.

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
8mm f/2,8 Nikkor Fisheye, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 12 minutes @ f/2.8
Photo ©1997 by Fred Espenak

Star Clouds in Sagittarius
(97SS80w)

The center of the Milky Way Galaxy lies in western Sagittarius.

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
105mm f/2.8 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 12 minutes @ f/2.8
Photo ©1997 by Fred Espenak

Lagoon Nebula
(97SS14M8w)

The the dust and red glowing hydrogen gas of the Lagoon Nebula provide the raw material for the birth of new stars. This spectaculr object lies at a distance of about 3000 light years

Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
AstroPhysics 105EDT (fl=620mm) f/5.9, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 25 minutes @ f/5.9
Photo ©1997 by Fred Espenak