Starry Night of Latitude Zero

The southern Milky Way is arched above Cotopaxi, one of the highest active volcanoes in the world (5897 m). Located near to Quito in Ecuador, it’s been honored for centuries as a sacred mountain by local Andean people. Its name means “Smooth Neck of the Moon”. In the background sky Scorpius and the central bulge of the Milky Way comes out of the cloudy horizon. The central part of the image faces south where the bright Carina Nebula and the large dark nebula known as the Coalsack are visible. On the right end Canopus, the second brightest star of the night sky, is about to set in the west.