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A most perplexing and exciting region of the Milkyway, filled with innumerable stars, delicate dark nebula, star clusters and emission nebula. This single 8 minute frame with the schmidt camera goes deep into this region, recording the golden tint unique to the central dust laden regions of the center of the Galaxy, with some of the details highlighted below:

The dark "spot" with the open cluster to its left on the top edge of the frame is the open cluster NGC6520 with the dark nebula Barnard 86. On the right edge is Sharpless 2-18, a faint emission nebula. Another even fainter nebula lies in the lower right corner, Sharpless 2-15. The large dark nebula to the lower right is Barnard 295,

Instrument:  8" f/1.5 Celestron Schmidt Camera
Platform:  Homemade GEM
Film:  Kodak Supra 400
CCD Autoguider: ST4
Exposure:  8mins
Filters:  NONE
Location:  Happy Jack, Arizona
Elevation:  6800 ft.
Sky:  Seeing 8/10, Transparency 9/10
Outside Temperature:  15 C
Processing: Photoshop, PW Pro.

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