Milky Way vs. Zodiacal Light above New Zealand

At a dark site by the shores of Lake Taupo on New Zealand’s North Island, the Milky Way bridges across the southern sky in its all beauty. Our galactic neighbors, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, stand above the southern horizon. In this evening view above the west (upper right) is bright planet Venus, Regulus, Mars and Saturn shining along the faint elongated band of Zodiacal Light. Compare this view with its northern hemisphere counterpart taken 6 months later.