The upside-down Little Milk Dipper of Sagittarius
(the Archer) dominates the upper center
of the photograph, its handle sticking into the Milky Way.
From left to right they are Ascella, Tau, Nunki, Phi, and
Kaus Borealis. The main part of Sagittarius' "bow" starts at the
end of the Little Milk Dipper's handle and bends down and to the left
(from top to bottom, Kaus Borealis, Kaus Media, and Kaus Australis).
The bow then bends up and to the right to Polis. Just below Kaus
Australis is reddish Eta Sagitarii.
Rukbat is down and to the left, while Arkab is the double closer
to the lower left corner. The
arrow runs from the center of the bow down and to the right to the
star Alnasl (with W Sgr just up and to the right), and points close
to the center of the Galaxy in the dark clouds of the Milky Way, seen
running from upper right to lower center. X Sgr is directly to the
right of Alnasl and just above the Galactic Center.
Albaldah is the bright star at the top center edge.
The bow, arrow, and the Little Milk Dipper together make "the
"Teapot." The cluster M 7 in Scorpius
is seen just to the
right of bottom center; Scorpius's two-star
"Stinger" is just to the right of center at the
bottom edge. The small reddish spot toward left center is the Lagoon
Nebula, M 8, which lies below Polis and
just to the left of the Winter Solstice. Down and to the left
of the Little Milk Dipper lies the semi-circle of
Corona Australis, the
Southern Crown. The brightest of the string of four
stars near the lower left corner is Theta
Ophiuchi.
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