SH2-129 Flying Bat & OU-4 Giant Squid Nebulae
This image is comprised of data from two separate first light experiences! The OIII data that reveals the OU-4 Giant Squid (the blue nebula that looks like a bat (?)) was captured using my new ZWO ASI6200MM mono camera with the OIII filter mounted into my new ZWO EFW filter wheel. So, the OU-4 Giant […]
SH2-240 Spaghetti Nebula
This image represents a double “first light” experience. First, it was “first light” with my new ZWO ASI6200MM monochromatic camera and ZWO EFW 7×2″ filter wheel – my first foray into monochromatic imaging and processing! …and perhaps even more exciting, this was “first light” captured from our home’s front patio which has been closed (i.e., […]
SH2-119 Clamshell Nebula
Fun facts Sharpless 119, is a large patch of emission nebulosity in the constellation Cygnus some 2300 light years from Earth. It’s only 2-3 degrees away from the North American and Pelican Nebulae, so is often overlooked. The bright star 68 Cygni, at a magnitude 5, is one of the stars responsible for ionizing the […]
B144 Fish on a Platter Nebula
Fun facts There is some degree of confusion over the identity of the Fish on a Platter Nebula. Most sources agree that it represents the dark cloud Barnard 144, but it is occasionally listed as Barnard 143, which forms part of the ‘E’ Nebula in Aquila. Neither structure is immediately reminiscent of a fish, on […]
NGC7822 Teddy Bear (a.k.a. Question Mark, formerly Flaming Skull) Nebula
NGC7822 Teddy Bear Nebula (a.k.a. Question Mark Nebula, previously known as Flaming Skull Nebula); captured from Bryce Park Place, Cannonville, Utah using the Southern Cross with its 0.7x reducer on 19 October 2025 Target Fun Facts NGC 7822 is a young star forming complex in the constellation of Cepheus. The complex encompasses the emission region […]
SH2-126 & LBN437 Gecko Nebula
Target Fun Facts LBN437 & SH2-126: SH2-126 is a large emission nebula in the Lacerta (The Lizard) constellation. It appears in this image as the red nebula. The source of its ionization is the intense ultraviolet radiation from the star 10 Lacertae, a blue main sequence star. The yellow-brownish nebula, which forms a “stellar funnel” […]
SH2-142/NGC7380 Wizard Nebula & Star Cluster
SH2-142/NGC 7380 Wizard Nebula; Captured from Mills Canyon Rim in Kiowa National Grasslands, NM with Big Bertha; 21 September 2025 Target Fun Facts The Wizard Nebula is often referred to as NGC 7380 but this classification really applies to the young star cluster (3.8 million years old!) associated with this nebulous region. The nebula itself […]
IC1396 Elephant Trunk Nebula
Target Fun Facts The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth. The dense globule piece of the nebula is IC 1396A; it is commonly called the Elephant’s Trunk nebula because […]
Southern Hemisphere – Atacama Desert March 2025
All of the images I captured during my “second annual” trip to San Pedro de Atacama, 27 March – 2 April 2025, are documented in their own gallery pages. But, as I started doing last year, I wanted to create a single gallery entry containing all of the images from this year’s trip in one […]
IC4812 Anteater Nebula
Fun facts The rather bizarre looking complex of dust and gas combines the steely blue reflection nebulae of IC 4812 and NGC 6726/27 which form the bulging eye with the densest part of Bernes 157 forming the body of the Anteater. From the body faint legs are spread out either side. The Anteater appears to […]