The southern portions of Pictor, Dorado, and Reticulum sprawl
from left to right
across the top of the picture (northern Dorado
seen along with northern Horologium). Alpha Pictoris is the
bright star at left, Beta Dor the bright star at top center,
and Alpha Reticuli is the brightest at the upper right corner.
Northern Pictor is seen to the west
of Canopus in Carina. Alpha Doradus is well off the picture up and to
the right of Beta Dor.
In the center is the faint glow of the Large Magellanic Cloud,
a nearby satellite galaxy to our own, located about 170,000 light years
away. Toward the bottom lie Volans, Mensa,
and Hydrus. The bright star toward lower right is Gamma Hydri.
Dorado contains the South Ecliptic Pole, the southern perpendicular
to the Ecliptic (the apparent solar path, which defines the Zodiac).
The North Galactic Pole is in Draco.
Photo by Greg Dimijian.
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