Sh2-282 (Sharpless 282) is a very faint Hii emission nebula in the constellation Monoceros. It is approximately 4,075 to 5,000 light-years away from Earth. It belongs to the second Sharpless catalog. It is situated in the north-central part of its constellation. The nebula is roughly 3° south of the famous Rosette Nebula.
The nebula is characterized by red hydrogen gas energized by radiation from nearby bright blue stars. It spans approximately 40 light-years in diameter. In apparent view, that’s 35 arc-minutes. The nebula contains eight cometary globules. These are dense, eroded pillars of gas and dust that are sculpted by stellar winds.
NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 are known as the Antennae Galaxies. They are a famous pair of interacting spiral galaxies. They are located in the constellation Corvus. They are currently undergoing a violent galactic collision that began approximately 900 million years ago.
Key Characteristics Nicknames: Commonly known as the Antennae Galaxies or the Ringtail Galaxy. They are also cataloged as Caldwell 60/61 and Arp 244.
Distance: Estimates of their distance from Earth range between 45 million and 65 million light-years.
Appearance: Their name comes from two long “tidal tails” of ejected stars, gas, and dust that resemble an insect’s antennae. These tails span over 500,000 light-years.
Starburst Activity: The collision has led to a massive “starburst” phase. In this phase, clouds of gas and dust are being compressed. This compression forms billions of new stars and super star clusters.
NGC 1999 is a bright reflection nebula in the Orion constellation, located about 1,500 light-years away near the Orion Nebula. Illuminated by the variable star V380 Orionis, it features a distinctive, T-shaped dark void in its center. Once thought to be a dust cloud, this “cosmic keyhole” is actually a hole in the nebula. Energetic stellar winds likely caused this hole. It is also called the “Rubber Stamp” nebula. This name is for those familiar with the use of stamps for marking items.
The nebula is part of the remnants of star formation, surrounded by a network of dusty filaments. It is often observed alongside Herbig-Haro objects, which are small, glowing patches of gas associated with newly formed stars.
The “Keyhole” Void: The most distinctive feature is a dark, T-shaped patch at its center. The region was long thought to be a dense Bok globule. A Bok globule is a cold cloud of dust and gas that blocks light. However, 2010 observations from the Herschel Space Observatory revealed it is actually an empty region of space. It is a literal hole in the nebula.
It is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex and is located just south of the famous Orion Nebula (M42). The region is rich in Herbig-Haro (HH) objects, which are luminous shock waves created by jets from newborn stars. The entire field of view is but a tiny portion of the massive Orion molecular cloud (the Orion A Cloud). A surprise for me is the amount of Oiii in the region. The blue hues highlight its presence.
Session management and automation with APT. I Captured 262 subframes with 180s exposure each. This amounts to about 13 hours of exposure from my driveway. I used an RC8 telescope and an ASI071MC Pro camera cooled to 14f.
I generally like to image open star clusters, globular clusters, and galaxies. However, it is fairly rare for a “starfield” to actually be a galaxy cluster. Hundreds of galaxies within my single field of view at 840mm fl. Challenges the mind.
Abell 1656, also known as the Coma Galaxy Cluster, is a massive and dense collection of galaxies. It contains more than 1,000 identified galaxies. These galaxies are located in the constellation Coma Berenices. It is situated approximately 321 million light-years from Earth. The cluster has a diameter of about 20 million light-years.
The central region is dominated by two supergiant elliptical galaxies: NGC 4874 and NGC 4889. Most central members are ellipticals, while spiral galaxies like NGC 4921 are typically found on the outskirts. Important to look at the astrobin platesolve for this image to see what’s actually in there.
NGC 4449, the Box Galaxy, (also known as Caldwell 21) is an irregular dwarf starburst galaxy. It is located approximately 12 to 13 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici. It is a member of the M94 group of galaxies. Its exceptionally high rate of star formation is notable. This feature earns it the “starburst” designation.
Unlike many galaxies where star formation is central, NGC 4449 exhibits widespread star formation. It reaches all the way to its edges. This is likely triggered by gravitational interactions or past mergers with smaller companion galaxies. The galaxy is rich in blue star clusters, which are young and massive stars. It also contains reddish regions of ionized hydrogen. In these regions, new stars are actively being born.
vdB 30 is a very faint reflection nebula located in the northern constellation Camelopardalis. This nebula is part of the van den Bergh (vdB) catalog of reflection nebulae. Astronomer Sidney van den Bergh originally published the catalog in 1966.
It is primarily a reflection nebula, meaning it consists of interstellar dust that reflects the light of nearby stars. The nebula surrounds the bright star Alpha Camelopardalis. Because this star is quite brilliant (magnitude ~4.3), the faint nebulosity can be difficult to capture and is often overwhelmed by the star’s glare. While categorized as a reflection nebula, it is rich in ionized hydrogen (HII) and some sulfur.
Modern narrowband imaging often reveals a bow shock in the gas. These are visible as curved structures in hydrogen-alpha (Ha) light. This phenomenon is caused by the star moving through the interstellar medium. It is estimated to be approximately 5,000 light-years away from Earth.
vdB 30 is considered a very faint and challenging target for amateur astronomers. It requires long exposure times (often 5 to 10+ hours) to detect the subtle dust and gas structures. Its coordinates place it at a high northern declination (+66 degrees), making it a circumpolar object for many observers in the Northern Hemisphere.
VdB 30 is a reflection nebula in the constellation Camelopardalis. It is a very extensive gas cloud. Observing it is difficult due to the low amount of light reflected and its relatively low temperature. It appears to surround the star α Camelopardalis. This star is located in the centre of the image. It is a blue supergiant from apparent magnitude 4.26 and spectral class O9Ia. The cloud extends for about 29 parsecs. It is composed of cold dust. The dust emits infrared radiation due to the weak heating received from the supergiant. The emissions from the supergiant are especially ultraviolet because of its surface temperature equal to 30,000 Kelvin.
The nebula has a ring shape. It is impressed by the strong stellar wind of the supergiant. This wind is responsible for creating a bubble in the interstellar medium surrounding it. As a result, it disperses the cloud itself.
I photographed this difficult target from my driveway in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Burke County, NC. I use APT for image acquisition and session automation to capture 159 5 minute exposures across 4 nights. Subframes calibrated, debayered, aligned, integrated, and processed in PixInsight 1.9.3
Sh2-238, also widely known as Hind’s Variable Nebula or NGC 1555, is a reflection nebula located in the constellation Taurus. It is renowned for its fluctuating brightness. These changes occur based on the activity of its illuminating star, the young variable star T Tauri. It is primarily a reflection nebula. It is also classified as a Herbig-Haro object (HH 155). These are bright patches of nebulosity associated with newly born stars.
The nebula’s appearance and luminosity change over time. This is not only due to the variable light output of T Tauri. It is also because moving dust clouds between the star and the nebula cast shifting shadows. Sh2-238 is a challenging target for amateur astronomers and astrophotographers. It remains popular due to the intricate dust structures. The yellow-orange hues of the surrounding interstellar material add to its appeal.
I photographed this nebula from my driveway in the hills of Burke County, NC. Using APT for image acquisition and session automation I collected 185 5 minute exposures over the course of three nights. Telescope – GSO RC8 at 1625mm focal length, ZWO ASI071MC Pro camera cooled to 14f, Mount – Skywatcher EQ6r Pro. The 185 subframes were calibrated, debayered, aligned, integrated, and processed using PixInsight 1.9.3
NGC 5906 is often referred to as part of the Splinter Galaxy or Knife Edge Galaxy. It is an edge-on spiral galaxy. It is located approximately 46–55 million light-years away in the Draco constellation. It is closely associated with NGC 5907. Many, including early observers, distinguish the western part of this thin, dusty galaxy as NGC 5906. The brighter, eastern side is identified as NGC 5907.
It has an extreme edge-on orientation. Because of this, it appears as a thin sliver of light or “knife edge” in telescopes. A prominent dust lane divides it. It is a spiral galaxy with a small, compact nucleus containing a supermassive black hole. Deep imaging reveals faint, massive stellar tidal streams looping around the galaxy. These are believed to be the remnants of a dwarf galaxy absorbed about 4 billion years ago.
I photographed this from my driveway with a GSO RC8 telescope. I used an ASI071MC Pro camera cooled to 14f. The setup included a Skywatcher EQ6r Pro equatorial mount. APT controls image acquisition and session automation. 102 3 minute subs, or about 5 hours of exposure. Subframes were calibrated, debayered, aligned, integrated, and processed using PixInsight 1.9.3.
NGC 2355, also known as NGC 2356, is an old open star cluster in the constellation Gemini. It is approximately a billion years old. The cluster is located about 5,400 light-years from the Solar System. It is 1,100 light-years above the Milky Way galaxy’s plane.
NGC 2355 is useful for studying the chemical and dynamical evolution of the Galactic disk. Recent studies using Gaia DR3 data have identified over 400 member stars within the cluster. They have also discovered dozens of variable stars. These include eclipsing binaries and pulsating stars.
NGC 2355 is located in the outer disk and elevated above the plane. This position makes it an important probe for understanding the evolution and structure of the Milky Way’s galactic disk. It is particularly valuable for studying star formation and dynamical processes in less dense regions.
NGC 2355 lies near the celestial equator. It is observable from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It favors northern latitudes where Gemini rises higher in the sky. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is best viewed during winter months from December to March. During this time, the constellation is prominent in the evening sky. From mid-northern latitudes such as 40°N, the cluster culminates at an altitude of approximately 63° above the horizon. This provides favorable viewing conditions away from atmospheric distortion.
I photographed this cluster from my driveway in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I use APT for session management, image acquisition, and automation. 71 60sec subframes for just a touch over an hour of integration. Calibrated, aligned, integrated, and processed manually using PixInsight.
Perhaps among the most beautiful targets to image in our night sky. There are no less than five reflection nebulae in the photograph. They are contrasted by large areas of ionized hydrogen showing as red in the image.
IC 2169, popularly known as Dreyer’s Nebula, is a large blue reflection nebula located in the constellation Monoceros (the Unicorn). It is a primary feature of the Monoceros R1 complex. This is a region of active star formation situated approximately 2,500 to 2,700 light-years away from Earth. It’s in a massive starfield!
The nebula has a distinctive blue hue. This color occurs as interstellar dust particles scatter blue light from nearby hot, young stars. It is primarily illuminated by the massive B-type stars of the young open cluster Collinder 95. Some sources also associate its glow with the variable star T Orionis or the star HD 45677.
The Nebula is often referred to as Dreyer’s Nebula. This name honors John Dreyer, who compiled the NGC and IC catalogs. However, it was actually discovered by Barnard. The nebula is also designated as IC 447. This duplication exists because it was recorded twice in the Index Catalogue (IC) due to separate observations by Edward Barnard. It is located about 2 degrees west of the more famous Cone Nebula and the Christmas Tree Cluster (NGC 2264). It is often imaged alongside smaller reflection nebulae such as IC 446, NGC 2245, and NGC 2247.
I took this photograph from my driveway in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina. Here, I enjoy a bortle 4/5 sky. Continued development pushes it ever closer to a 5. Imaged with a Skywatcher Esprit 120ED telescope at 840mm focal length and a ZWO ASI2600MC camera cooled to 14f. These are mounted on a Skywatcher Eq6r Pro equatorial mount. It runs EQMOD and guides via PHD2. This is done through a ZWO OAG and an ASI290mm mini guide camera.
Component control is done by APT. Session automation and image acquisition are also managed by APT. These are the magic dust in getting the 143 5 minute subframes. The subframes were manually calibrated, debayered, aligned, integrated, and processed to the targets natural colors using PixInsight.
