Explanation:
Diffuse starlight and dark nebulae
along the southern
Milky Way
arc over the horizon and sprawl diagonally through this
gorgeous nightscape.
The breath-taking mosaic spans a wide
100 degrees, with the rugged
terrain
of the Patagonia, Argentina region in the foreground.
Along with the insider's view of our own galaxy, the image
features our outside perspective on two irregular satellite galaxies -
the Large and
Small Magellanic Clouds.
Recorded on January 28, the scene also captures the
broad tail
and bright coma of Comet McNaught, The
Great Comet of 2007.