The Southern Sky from the International Space Station

Look up from Earth's South Pole , and this stellar starscape is what you might see. Alternatively, this patch of sky is also visible from many southern locations as well as the orbiting International Space Station , where the above image was recently recorded. To the left of the photograph's center are the four stars that mark the boundaries of the famous Southern Cross . The band of stars, dust, and gas crossing the middle of the photograph is part our Milky Way Galaxy . At the lower left is the dark Coal Sack Nebula , and the bright nebula on the far right is the Carina Nebula . The Southern Cross is such a famous constellation that it is depicted on the national flag of Australia .