Object: Southern section of the Great Sagittarius Star Cloud in Sagittarius
Exposure: Composite of three 25-minute exposures
Processing: Negatives scanned at 2700dpi with a Polaroid SprintScan 35 Plus, blended in Picture Window Pro 2.5 and enhanced in Adobe Photoshop 4.0
Telescope: TeleVue 85mm f/7 APO refractor @ f/5.6
Mount: Losmandy G11
Guiding: SBIG ST-4
Film: gas-hypered 35mm Kodak Pro 400(PPF)
Location: Mt. Laguna, California
Date: 6/2/00
Comments: In this image, we are looking directly into the heart of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. Countless dark nebulas(dust clouds) etch the glow of millions of suns.
One of the most prominent dark nebulas is located near bottom-center. Personally, I have named this nebula the "Dog Head Nebula" as it clearly resembles the
side profile of a dog's head. The dog's ears making the top of the nebula while its nose and neck forming the lower section. The "dog" is looking
towards the lower right corner of the image.
Other objects found in the image include the open cluster NGC6451, right of center, and emission nebula Sh2-16, top right corner.