This is M81 & M82, also known as Bode’s and the Cigar Galaxy. This is a pair of beautiful galaxies in Ursa Major. Also in this image, is NGC3077.
This group of galaxies is the closest galaxy group to our own very local group of galaxies which include the Milky Way
This was the first target I imaged with my new telescope, the Explore Scientific FCD 100 Carbon Fiber 127mm Triplet. This was a total of 18 hours and 50 minutes of exposure time.
Is it NGC 2237 or 2244 or something else? It’s the Rosette Nebula, and multiple star clusters are part of what we normally call the Rosette Nebula. Regardless of what objects are cataloged, the whole target is beautiful.
This was the first light for my new Optolong L-eXtreme filter. I did take this image back in December 2020, but I just finally had a chance to finish the write-up for this spectacular target.
For Diwali, I present the Flame and the Horsehead Nebula. This is Barnard 33, a dark nebula in the constellation of Orion. The dark nebula which forms the horse’s head is illuminated from behind by the bright emission nebula IC 434
Right next to the Horsehead Nebula is the Flame Nebula and a small blue reflection nebula NGC 2023.
The Horsehead and the Flame are right by Alnitak, the first star in Orion’s Belt.
This is IC1805, also known as the Heart Nebula. This is a large nebula about 7500 light-years away from us.
The nebula shines bright red due to all the hydrogen gas excited by the nearby stars. The center of the nebula has a cluster of stars that contribute to this as well.
The other significant part of this nebula is NGC896, also known as the Fish Head Nebula. I captured this a few days ago in incredible light-polluted skies in my apartment complex.
Sometimes it’s fun to work with bad data because you’re not expecting much and it turns out OK.
The Wizard seems to be my arch-nemesis so far. This is the second time I’ve tried this target with little luck. I had issues with flats and I was able to crop in and salvage some of the data.
I will be trying this again later this month. The third time is the charm.
This is NGC 7360 The Wizard Nebula. This is a star cluster/emission nebula in Cepheus.
M27 also known as the Dumbbell Nebula is a bright planetary nebula about 1227 light-years away.
This is a very short exposure as my observing time was cut short by sprinklers at my apartment complex
NGC 7635 also known as the Bubble Nebula is an emission nebula in Cassiopeia. This Bubble is a result of very fast stellar winds from a massive star in the middle.
I took this picture a few days ago. It was almost a full moon at 97% and I used an Optolong L-eNhance 2″ filter to counter light pollution and the moon.
NGC 6960 or commonly known as the Veil Nebula or The Witch’s Broom is a very large supernova remnant in the Cygnus constellation. The wispy filaments are from the explosion of a star that is 20 times the size of our Sun.
I took this picture on June 06, 2020. It was almost a full moon and I used an Optolong l-eNhance 2″ filter to cut through the light.
