This is the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way and member of the Local Group of galaxies, framed in portrait orientartion to
This is the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way and member of the Local Group of galaxies, framed in portrait orientartion to include all of the Cloud and some of the fainter outlying glow and surrounding stars of Mensa and Dorado. The bright knot at left on the eastern side of the LMC is the Tarantula Nebula, NGC 2070, and its surrounding complex of other nebulas. The large nebula on the right or western end of the LMC is the NGC 1763 complex. The LMC is officially classed as a barred spiral galaxy, and some of that form is apparent here, though it is rather asymetric, with an obvious arm sweeping up to the north and rich in nebulas, but only a weak arm visible below to the south. The bright star at top is Beta Doradus, the second brightest star in Dorado the Swordfish or Goldfish. The other stars above the LMC belong to Dorado. The stars below the LMC belong to Mensa, named for Table Mountain in South Africa. This is a stack of 13 x 2-minute exposures, with the RF135mm lens at and the Canon Ra at ISO 800, on the MSM Nomad tracker. The lens had an URTH Night broadband night filter on it to improve contrast somewhat. Taken on a partly cloudy night March 6, 2024 from Mirrabook Cottage, near Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. Some frames were through thin clouds and I left those in the stack to add the natural star glows to bring out the brighter stars and their colours.
Size: 4480px × 6720px
Photo credit: © Alan Dyer / VWPics / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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