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In June of 1996, I attended the first annual Southern Skies Star Party organized by Ken Willcox. This event is held in Bolivia along the shores of Lake Titicaca (12,500 feet). At that elevation, the southern skies are fabulously dark. Our group of about 22 people stayed at the Inca Ultama Hotel which afforded a large protected area to set up our telescopes for the week. A detailed description of the 1996 Southern Skies Star Party was written by Ken Willcox. You can find additiona information on my SSSP'96 web page.
The following photo gallery gives a sample of the beautiful sights visible in the night sky from the Southern Hemisphere. For additional images, see 1996 Southern Sky Photo Gallery A.
Click on each thumbnail to see a larger image.
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Cabana and Star Trails Over Lake Titicaca (96SS63w)
The southern stars gracefully arc over a shore-side cabana at Lake Titicaca. The thirty minute time exposure demonstrates the rotation of Earth on its axis by revealing the apparent motions of the stars.
Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
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Milky Way from Aquila to Sagittarius (96SS64w)
The brilliant planet Jupiter (right) blazes nearbly in a Milky Way vista stretching from Aquila to Sagittarius.
Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
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Zeta Scorpius and Star Clouds (96SS22w)
Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
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Central Bulge of the Milky Way Galaxy (96SS45w)
Interstellar dust lanes, countless stars and glowing gasses make up the central bulge of the Milky Way Galaxy through Sagittarius.
Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
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Southern Cross (Crux) Close-Up (96SS10w)
The symbol of the southern hemisphere sky, the Southern Cross (Crux) contains a dark cloud of dust called the Coal Sack (lower left). It blocks out many of the stars behind it making it appear like a hole in the southern Milky Way.
Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
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Milky Way through northern Sagittarius (96SS24w)
Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
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Sagittarius through Carina - Super Wide Field Milky Way (96SS30w)
A super-wide angle fisheye lens captures the expanse of the southern Milky Way from Sagittarius and Scorpius through Centaurus, Crux and Carina.
Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
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Southern Cross and Carina (96SS27w)
The Eta Carina nebula glows in red hydrogen emission to the west (right) of the Southern Cross (Crux).
Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
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Milky Way through Sagittarius and Scorpius (96SS72w)
Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
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The Scorpion's Stinger (96SS20w)
The star cluster M7 dominates this view of the Scorpion's stinger.
Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
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Jupiter and Sagittarius (96SS66w)
Southern Sky & Milky Way (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)
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All photographs, text and web pages are © Copyright 2007 by Fred Espenak, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. They may not be reproduced, published, copied or transmitted in any form, including electronically on the Internet or WWW, without written permission of the author. The photos have been digitally watermarked.
The photographs may be licensed for commercial, editorial, and educational use. Contact Espenak (at MrEclipse) for photo use in print, web, video, CD and all other media.
WebMaster: MrEclipse
Last revised: 2008 Feb 10
