Scorpius (original) (raw)

This wide-angle view of the Milky Way spans nearly 50 degrees from southern Aquila and Scutum at the upper left through Sagittarius(notable by the upside-down "Little Milk Dipper") and Scorpius with its obvious curving tail and bright Antares, to eastern Lupus at far right. The dark rift in the Milky Way caused by a thick layer of interstellar dust runs from upper left to lower right. The Lagoon Nebula, M8, is just below center, while the open clusters M7 and M6 lie to the left of the Scorpion's lower tail. The center of the Galaxy lies down and to the right of M8. The bright "star" at lower left is Jupiter, as it appeared in mid-march of 2008.