Hey Phil
Yes I agree with the transparency, it was stunning last night! The forecast cloud/drizzle didn't eventuate, and there was a southerly airstream off the ocean bringing amazing transparency. I was stunned by how well the stars showed even under the moonlight. After moonset, The Sagittarius Milkyway stood out so well, I could see the M24, Norma and Scutum starclouds (arn't we spoilt here in the glorius south!!!) clearly and the views thru the telescope were just unreal. Amazing, just amazing.
That nebulosity in Sagittarius that I reported - turns out it's the
"Great Saggitarius Starcloud". An absolutely memorable experience thru the scope. It seriously looks like a giagantic nebula, with innumerable tiny pinpricks sprawling everywhere. I am proud to be part of the LUCKY FEW (5 billion peeps in the north, 1 billion in the south) to be living in the southern hemisphere!
The Sagittarius starclouds probably surpasses even the Eta Carina region.
Basically everything awesome is south of the celestial equator, including the Orion and Horsehead Nebulae.
Norma's NGC 6067 is a truly excellent cluster, well worth a look under moonless skies. Very rich, set in one of the densest starfields in the sky. IMO it matches the heavyweights in Carina in richness. During my cruise in the sky's richest area, I also chanced upon M11, very rich, however I found NGC 6067 to be more spectacular.