A Southern Hemisphere Celestial Portrait

By the photographer: “From New Zealand, the Land of the Long White Cloud, the heavens shine more beautifully than nearly anywhere else on Earth. Here Queenstown’s Lake Wakatipu and moonlit snowcapped mountains make a perfect setting to enjoy the sky show. Near the center of the image appear two Southern Hemisphere celestial showpieces–the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, two small satellite galaxies of our own. Near bottom center and along the band of the Milky Way (the Long White Cloud) shines the iconic constellation Crux (Southern Cross) and, to its right, the bright stars Beta and Alpha Centauri (the nearest star system to our own sun).”