Southern Cross

Southern Cross

A beautiful constellation — visible even from Taiwan, though it sits very low on the horizon and only for a short while.
Part of this image was shot through a soft-focus filter to make the constellation stand out; total exposure was about an hour.

The Southern Cross also appears on the flags and emblems of many southern-hemisphere nations.

From Wikipedia:
"In the colonial age the Southern Cross became an emblem of several southern lands. Its brightest stars appear on the national flags of Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. They also feature on the flags and arms of Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory in Australia, the Magallanes Region of Chile, Londrina in Brazil, and several Argentine provinces such as Tierra del Fuego and Santa Cruz. The Mercosur trade bloc displays four bright stars in its logo, and the Southern Cross appears on Brazil's coat of arms as well."

Askar ACL 200
QHY 600c
Avalon M-ZERO HQ
31*120sec + 3x10sec Soft-Focus Filter
Software: PixInsight, Photoshop