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Splendid starfield centred on the constellation of the Southern Cross (Crux Australis). It shows an area of our galaxy, the Milky Way, extremely rich in star clusters, dark and bright (pink) nebulae. Four bright stars at centre left identify the familiar cross-shaped asterism in the Southern Cross. The two brightest stars at centre far left are Alpha (closer to the edge) and Beta Centauri. The larger pink area at centre right is Eta Carinae, a giant emission nebula having a diameter of about 300 light years. Omega Centauri, the largest and brightest globular star cluster in the sky, is the white, round object at top left. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/LUKE DODD)