This wide-angle view of the Milky Way spans nearly 50 degrees from
southern Aquila and
Scutum at the upper left through Sagittarius
(notable by the upside-down
"Little Milk Dipper") and
Scorpius with its obvious curving tail and
bright Antares, to eastern Lupus at far right.
The dark rift in the
Milky Way caused by a thick layer of interstellar dust runs from
upper left to lower right. The Lagoon Nebula, M8, is just below center,
while the open clusters M7 and M6 lie to the
left of the Scorpion's lower tail.
The center of the Galaxy lies down and to the right of M8. The bright "star"
at lower left is Jupiter, as it appeared in mid-march of 2008.
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