From the pristine desert of
Mungo National Park in
southeastern Australia, the
stars shine as brightly as
anywhere on Earth. In this
time exposure facing due south,
the stars appear to wheel around
the South Celestial Pole as the
Earth rotates during the night.
Unlike in the Northern
Hemisphere sky, however, there
is no bright star that marks
this position. The
pink smudge on the lower left is
the trail left by the bright Eta
Carina Nebula. The faint white
smudge entering the picture near
the top left center is the Large
Magellanic Cloud. |