The Beauty of South

The Milky Way, bright stars of Alpha and Beta Centauri, the Southern Cross and, the notable dark nebula known as the Coal Sack are photographed in the dark starry night of Mangaia; a 10 km wide island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in the southern hemisphere. Mangaia is the most southerly of the Cook Islands. This volcanic remnant has the distinction of being the oldest island in the Pacific dating back to about 18 million years ago. © Tunc Tezel