GALAXIES & CLOUDS
WHY ARE SOME PARTS OF THE SKY DARKER THAN OTHERS?
Take a look at a decent night sky photo from the
Red Centre of Oz, a place with nil light pollution,
and you will notice a big black scar torn across
the middle of the Milky Way.
It’s known as the Great Rift, and it’s a prime
example of Dark Space. The reason this patch of the
sky is blacker, and seems to have less stars, is due
to blankets of dust that were kicked up when other
stars exploded.
It’s all about light perspective, the stars are still
there, behind the space dust, but our view of them
is drowned out by groups of stars that are closer
to us.
Nowhere in the world gets a better view of the
Milky Way than the Aussie outback. Which is why
all the boldest clouds of stars are the ones from our
own galaxy.
Our unique Southern Hemisphere vantage also
allows us a decent view of our neighbouring galaxy,
Andromeda. And also the dwarf Megallanic galaxies,
which appear to the naked eye as two pulsating
clouds.
Fittingly, for us, the Yolngu of Arnhem Land refer
to the two clouds as a man and wife sitting beside
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