HDF Index

Locating HDF South

Introduction
The Sky to the South
Photo of Tucana
Binocular View
DSS Context Image
CT Context Image
DSS HDFS Environs
HDFS Mosaic

Approximate width of field: 40'

To see the sky in this detail requires a telescope.

This is a 1°x1° image from the Digitised Sky Survey (DSS) taken on film by the UK Schmidt telescope, Siding Spring, Australia. Click the image to view the DSS Context Field at high resolution. [Note: This is a 378 KB 2,119 x 2,119 pixel jpg file].

The brightest star in the DSS image is the one at its centre, 7th magnitude HIP111322. Although the image contains thousands of stars, not one can be seen with the unaided eye. Astronomers don't find this surprising. Only 6,000 stars are visible to the unaided eye, whereas the sky covers more than 40,000 square degrees.

Many interesting objects are visible in the DSS Context Field, including galaxies, a planetary nebula and perhaps even an eye lash that got stuck to the plate during scanning. (Note: the spikes and circles around the brighter stars are artifacts caused by diffraction and reflection of light inside the telescope and camera).