Caption: The center of our Galaxy is totally hidden at visible wavelengths by the band of dust which divides the Milky Way along much of its span. The dust can be seen in this wide-angle picture, which covers over 50í of the southern Milky Way. It was made with a conventional camera pointing towards the constellation of Sagittarius. Against this dark lane can be seen many bright red emission nebulae. The brightest, near the center of the picture, is Messier 8, the Lagoon Nebula. At least 16 other prominent objects catalogued by Messier can be found on the photograph.
Copyright: (c) 1980 Anglo-Australian Telescope Board, photograph by David Malin
