11 cas) 112 tau) 13 aur) 15 cas 16 boo) 17 aql) 17 cas) 18 cas) 18 cyg) 19 tau) 21 and 21 cyg 23 cep 24 and 24 cas) 24 gem) 24 ori) 25 and 25 tau) 27 and 27 cas) 27 cep 29 and 3 aur) 3 lyr) 30 and 31 and 31 cyg 32 cep 32 cyg 33 cep) 34 aur) 34 cep 35 and 37 and 37 aur) 37 cas) 37 cyg) 41 ori a) 41 ori c 41 ori d 41 sgr) 43 and) 43 ori) 43 tau 44 per) 45 cas) 48 ari) 49 cap) 5 cas 5 tau 50 aql) 50 cyg) 53 aql) 53 cyg) 53 peg) 57 ari) 58 ari) 58 ori) 6 cyg a) 61 tau) 62 cyg 64 cyg) 65 tau) 68 tau 69 tau) 7 cas 8 peg) 87 tau) Al baldah (π sgr Al janah (ε cyg Al mankib Albireo Alhajoth (α aur Almeisan (γ gem Altair Amas de l'ecu de sobieski Andromeda galaxy Antares Arcturus Arided Aridif Arrioph (α cyg Barnard's merope nebula Beehive Bellatrix Betelgeuse Betelgeux (α ori Black eye galaxy Bode's galaxy Brocchi's cluster Bubble nebula C/2017 k2 California nebula Camera Capella Caroline's rose Cassiopeia Checkmark nebula Cheleb (βoph) Chi persei cluster Christmas tree cluster Cigar galaxy Clavius Cocoon nebula Comet Cone nebula Cor tauri Crab nebula Crescent nebula Deconvolution Deneb al okab australis Deneb el okab (ζ aql Dumbbell nebula Eagle nebula El nath (β tau Elephant trunk nebula Epsilon Epsilon lyr Erakis (μ cep) Evil eye galaxy Exposure Fawaris ii (δ cyg Fetus nebula Fidis Flame nebula Fom (ε peg Fox fur nebula Galaxy Ghost of cassipeia Gienah cygni Great orion nebula H persei cluster Helix nebula Hercules globular cluster Horsehead nebula Hyadum ii (δ1 tau Ic 341 Ic 349 Ic 353 Ic 354 Ic 360 Ic 423 Ic 426 Ic 49 Ic 5068 Ic1296 Ic1340 Ic1396 Ic1590 Ic1795 Ic1805 Ic1831 Ic1848 Ic1871 Ic341 Ic348 Ic349 Ic353 Ic354 Ic420 Ic423 Ic426 Ic4263 Ic4277 Ic4278 Ic431 Ic432 Ic434 Ic435 Ic4592 Ic4617 Ic4701 Ic4703 Ic4706 Ic4707 Ic4715 Ic5070 Ic5134 Ic5146 Ic59 Ic63 Ic783 International space station Iris nebula Iss Jupiter K2 Kabalinan (ι aur Knife edge galaxy Ksora (δ cas Lagoon nebula Lobster nebula Lower sword Lunar M1 M10 M100 M101 M103 M104 M11 M110 M12 M13 M15 M16 M17 M2 M20 M21 M24 M27 M29 M3 M31 M32 M33 M36 M37 M38 M39 M42 M43 M44 M45 M47 M5 M51 M52 M53 M57 M63 M64 M65 M66 M71 M8 M81 M82 M84 M86 M87 M89 M90 M92 M95 M97 Maia nebula Mairan's nebula Mare imbrium Mars Merope nebula Meteor Milky way Monkey head nebula Moon Neptune Ngc 1432 Ngc 1435 Ngc 1973 Ngc 281 Ngc 432 Ngc 4594 Ngc 6888 Ngc 6960 Ngc 7293 Ngc 7380 Ngc 7822 Ngc1027 Ngc1432 Ngc1435 Ngc1499 Ngc1912 Ngc1952 Ngc1960 Ngc1973 Ngc1975 Ngc1976 Ngc1977 Ngc1980 Ngc1981 Ngc1982 Ngc2023 Ngc2024 Ngc205 Ngc2099 Ngc2112 Ngc2174 Ngc2175 Ngc221 Ngc2237 Ngc2238 Ngc2239 Ngc224 Ngc2246 Ngc2252 Ngc2264 Ngc2422 Ngc2632 Ngc281 Ngc3031 Ngc3034 Ngc3351 Ngc3587 Ngc3593 Ngc3623 Ngc3627 Ngc3628 Ngc4284 Ngc4290 Ngc4312 Ngc4321 Ngc4323 Ngc4328 Ngc4374 Ngc4388 Ngc4402 Ngc4406 Ngc4425 Ngc4429 Ngc4435 Ngc4438 Ngc4452 Ngc4461 Ngc4473 Ngc4477 Ngc4486 Ngc4518 Ngc4531 Ngc4535 Ngc4550 Ngc4552 Ngc4569 Ngc4594 Ngc4826 Ngc5024 Ngc5055 Ngc5146 Ngc5194 Ngc5195 Ngc5263 Ngc5272 Ngc5422 Ngc5455 Ngc5457 Ngc5461 Ngc5471 Ngc5474 Ngc5477 Ngc5485 Ngc581 Ngc5904 Ngc5907 Ngc595 Ngc598 Ngc604 Ngc6205 Ngc6218 Ngc6254 Ngc6341 Ngc6514 Ngc6523 Ngc6526 Ngc6530 Ngc6531 Ngc6544 Ngc6603 Ngc6611 Ngc6618 Ngc6705 Ngc6720 Ngc6727 Ngc6823 Ngc6838 Ngc6853 Ngc6888 Ngc6910 Ngc6913 Ngc6960 Ngc6979 Ngc6989 Ngc6992 Ngc6995 Ngc6997 Ngc7000 Ngc7008 Ngc7023 Ngc7078 Ngc7089 Ngc7092 Ngc7129 Ngc7142 Ngc7293 Ngc7331 Ngc7335 Ngc7337 Ngc7340 Ngc7380 Ngc7635 Ngc7654 Ngc7789 Ngc869 Ngc884 Ngc896 Noise reduction North america nebula Omega nebula Omi per cloud Orion Orion b Orion nebula Os pegasi Owl nebula Pacman Panstarr Parilicium (α tau Part of the constellation andromeda (and) Part of the constellation aquarius (aqr) Part of the constellation aquila (aql) Part of the constellation capricornus (cap) Part of the constellation cassiopeia (cas) Part of the constellation cepheus (cep) Part of the constellation corona austrina (cra) Part of the constellation cygnus (cyg) Part of the constellation gemini (gem) Part of the constellation lacerta (lac) Part of the constellation ophiuchus (oph) Part of the constellation orion (ori) Part of the constellation pegasus (peg) Part of the constellation perseus (per) Part of the constellation sagittarius (sgr) Part of the constellation serpens (ser) Part of the constellation taurus (tau) Pelican nebula Pixinsight Polaris Praesepe cluster Processing Reda (γ aql Ring nebula Rosette a Rosette b Rosette nebula Saturn Scripts Seat alpheras (β peg Sh2-101 Sh2-170 Shedir (α cas Sinus iridum Sirius Sirrah (α and Small sagittarius cloud Small sgr star cloud Snowflake nebula Sombrero galaxy Splinter galaxy Stacking Star queen Sterope i (21 tau) Sunflower galaxy Swan nebula The coat hanger The constellation aquila (aql) The constellation auriga (aur) The constellation camelopardalis (cam) The constellation cassiopeia (cas) The constellation cygnus (cyg) The constellation delphinus (del) The constellation equuleus (equ) The constellation lacerta (lac) The constellation lyra (lyr) The constellation sagitta (sge) The constellation scutum (sct) The constellation taurus (tau) The constellation vulpecula (vul) The cosmic rose The moon The running man nebula The star 1 cas The star 12mon The star 14vul The star 15mon The star 18 tau The star 18tau The star 19 psa The star 23 vul The star 31 cep The star 31ori The star 32and The star 32ori The star 36 tau The star 37 tau The star 39 cyg The star 4 cas The star 4 sgr The star 41 cyg The star 42ori The star 45ori The star 47cyg The star 4vul The star 5 sgr The star 52 cyg The star 52cyg The star 56 cyg The star 56cyg The star 57 cyg The star 57cyg The star 5ser The star 5vul The star 63cyg The star 7 sgr The star 73leo The star 7sgr The star 9 sgr The star 9sgr The star achird (η cas The star al aghnam ii (π cep The star al butain iii (ε ari The star al butain iv (ζ ari The star albaldah The star albireo (β1 cyg The star albireo (β1cyg) The star alcyone (η tau The star aldebaran The star aldebaran (αtau) The star alfirk (βcep) The star alhena The star aljanah The star alkalbain iii (κ1 tau The star alkalbain v (υ tau The star almach (γ1and) The star alnilam (εori) The star alnitak (ζori) The star alpheratz The star altair (α aql The star antares (αsco) The star arcturus (α boo The star arcturus (αboo) The star ascella (ζsgr) The star asterope The star atik (ζ per The star atlas (27 tau) The star atlas (27tau) The star bellatrix (γ ori The star bellatrix (γori) The star betelgeuse The star betelgeuse (αori) The star botein (δ ari The star capella The star capella (αaur) The star caph (β cas The star caph (βcas) The star cebalrai The star celaeno (16 tau) The star celaeno (16tau) The star deneb The star deneb (αcyg) The star deneb algedi (δ cap The star electra (17 tau) The star electra (17tau) The star elnath The star enif The star errai (γcep) The star f tau The star fawaris The star fawaris iii (ζ cyg The star fulu (ζ cas The star gienah (εcyg) The star hassaleh The star kaus australis (εsgr) The star kaus borealis (λsgr) The star mahasim (θ aur The star media (δsgr) The star menkalinan (β aur The star merope (23 tau) The star merope (23tau) The star mintaka (δori) The star mirach (β and The star mirach (βand) The star mirfak (αper) The star mizan batil ii (θ2 ori The star navi (γ cas The star navi (γcas) The star nembus (51 and The star nunki (σsgr) The star okab The star pleione (28 tau) The star pleione (28tau) The star polaris (αumi) The star rasalhague (αoph) The star rigel (βori) The star ruchbah The star ruchbah (δcas) The star sabik (ηoph) The star sadr (γ cyg The star sadr (γcyg) The star saiph (κori) The star scheat The star schedar (αcas) The star secunda hyadum The star segin (ε cas The star shedar The star sirius (αcma) The star sterope i (21tau) The star sterope ii (22 tau) The star tarazed The star taygeta (19tau) The star taygeta (q tau The star the garnet star The star trapezium (θ1 ori a The star vega The star β2cyg The star γper The star δ and The star δ cep The star δ3 tau The star δaql The star ε and The star ε cep The star ε1lyr The star ε2lyr The star εcas The star ζcas The star ζcep The star ζoph The star η cyg The star ηcas The star ηori The star ηser The star ηtau The star θ and The star θ1 ori c The star θ1 ori d The star θ1ori The star θ2ori The star θaql The star θcas The star ι cep The star ιori The star κ cas The star κcas The star λaql The star λcas The star λcyg The star μ and The star ν and The star νand The star νcyg The star νoph The star ξ cyg The star ξcyg The star ξser The star ο cep The star ο1 cyg The star ο2 cyg The star οper The star π and The star πsgr The star ρ and The star ρ cas The star ρcas The star ρcyg The star σ and The star σori The star τ cas The star τori The star τsgr The star υ2cas The star υori The star φ per The star ω1 tau Tracking Triangulum Triangulum galaxy Triangulum pinwheel Trifid nebula Tulip nebula Upper sword Uranus Vega Veil nebula Venus Virgo galaxy Wega (α lyr Westerhous 5 Whirlpool galaxy Wild duck cluster Δ peg) Υ per)
Tag:  
The night sky captured from a camera riding piggyback on the telescope mount.
The Night Sky
Tag: 11 cas) 
A single exposure of Cassiopeia.
Cassiopeia at 50mm
Tag: 112 tau) 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: 13 aur) 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: 15 cas 
A single exposure of Cassiopeia.
Cassiopeia at 50mm
Tag: 16 boo) 
An alignment capture of the 4th brightest star in the night sky, a red giant.
Arcturus with Svbony Scope
Tag: 17 aql) 
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Tag: 17 cas) 
A single exposure of Cassiopeia.
Cassiopeia at 50mm
Tag: 18 cas) 
A single exposure of Cassiopeia.
Cassiopeia at 50mm
Tag: 18 cyg) 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
This beautiful region is full of stars and some of the most bright and beautiful nebulae including The Cygnus Loop (Veil Nebula), the North America Nebula, the Crescent Nebula and the Tulip Nebula.
The Colorful Field of Cygnus Stars
Tag: 19 tau) 
The Pleiades rise with Mars. This is my second year of astrophotography, and I got a bit sentimental when I realized I would be able to see the Pleiades in the morning. When I started this hobby in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, the nights were long and cold while the planets rose high and early. Orion dominated the southern skies, and the Seven Sisters were ever present. My first photographs using a regular camera were of this easy-to-locate cluster with pockets of nebulosity. Seeing them again heralds Autumn, with new nebula, wide field shots of flames and horseheads, rosettes and runners, sisters and monkeyheads. So, I decided to capture a picture and as I was framing the 55mm shot, I realized Mars could just squeeze into it. It was past nautical dawn, so I ditched the idea of a 5-minute exposure. Normally I stack 30-second exposures, but I felt like 2 minutes would be enough to capture the cluster even if I didn't catch the wispy blue nebulosity while keeping Mars from completely oversaturating. Here's the result. This is a single two-minute exposure of 'The Pleiades rise with Mars.'
M45 and Mars
One of my favorite winter targets, the Pleiades are easily visible as a bright cluster of stars that resemble a 'tiny dipper.' You can see their faint bluish/purple glow with the naked eye and the Seven Sisters are photogenic and multiple focal lengths. This is a series of broadband RGB long exposures to bring out the subtle dust and nebulosity that surround this young group of stars.
M45 in 2022
A rare meeting of Mars and the Pleiades.
Mars and the Seven Sisters
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
A long exposure reveals the wispy tendrils of nebulosity that surround the major stars in M45 like a cocoon.
The Pleiades
Tag: 21 and 
Anticipating Andromeda. This is the time of year that M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, begins to appear for longer periods of time. I've done some fun shoots in the past, but this year I feel like it's time to go for a magnum opus photo (for me, personally) and I decided to practice some shots. Those are just practice shots, so I won't be posting them, but I did have my Sony Alpha 6300 ride shotgun on the imaging runs. It snapped this photo of the bright stars that define the Andromeda Constellation chasing the galaxy off the edge of the frame. This is 10 2-minute exposures.
M31 with the camera
Tag: 21 cyg 
This beautiful region is full of stars and some of the most bright and beautiful nebulae including The Cygnus Loop (Veil Nebula), the North America Nebula, the Crescent Nebula and the Tulip Nebula.
The Colorful Field of Cygnus Stars
Tag: 23 cep 
Hours of 2-minute exposures using my Sony Alpha 6300 reveal the Milky Way's wall of stars, galaxies, and nebulae that's practically a 'star map' of who's who in common targets. Visible targets include Messier 52 (a cluster), the Bow-tie Nebula, the Bubble Nebula, and the Wizard Nebula. There are several other planetary and diffuse nebulae and galaxies to boot.
The Northern Stars
Tag: 24 and 
Anticipating Andromeda. This is the time of year that M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, begins to appear for longer periods of time. I've done some fun shoots in the past, but this year I feel like it's time to go for a magnum opus photo (for me, personally) and I decided to practice some shots. Those are just practice shots, so I won't be posting them, but I did have my Sony Alpha 6300 ride shotgun on the imaging runs. It snapped this photo of the bright stars that define the Andromeda Constellation chasing the galaxy off the edge of the frame. This is 10 2-minute exposures.
M31 with the camera
Tag: 24 cas) 
A single exposure of Cassiopeia.
Cassiopeia at 50mm
Tag: 24 gem) 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: 24 ori) 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: 25 and 
Anticipating Andromeda. This is the time of year that M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, begins to appear for longer periods of time. I've done some fun shoots in the past, but this year I feel like it's time to go for a magnum opus photo (for me, personally) and I decided to practice some shots. Those are just practice shots, so I won't be posting them, but I did have my Sony Alpha 6300 ride shotgun on the imaging runs. It snapped this photo of the bright stars that define the Andromeda Constellation chasing the galaxy off the edge of the frame. This is 10 2-minute exposures.
M31 with the camera
Tag: 25 tau) 
The Pleiades rise with Mars. This is my second year of astrophotography, and I got a bit sentimental when I realized I would be able to see the Pleiades in the morning. When I started this hobby in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, the nights were long and cold while the planets rose high and early. Orion dominated the southern skies, and the Seven Sisters were ever present. My first photographs using a regular camera were of this easy-to-locate cluster with pockets of nebulosity. Seeing them again heralds Autumn, with new nebula, wide field shots of flames and horseheads, rosettes and runners, sisters and monkeyheads. So, I decided to capture a picture and as I was framing the 55mm shot, I realized Mars could just squeeze into it. It was past nautical dawn, so I ditched the idea of a 5-minute exposure. Normally I stack 30-second exposures, but I felt like 2 minutes would be enough to capture the cluster even if I didn't catch the wispy blue nebulosity while keeping Mars from completely oversaturating. Here's the result. This is a single two-minute exposure of 'The Pleiades rise with Mars.'
M45 and Mars
One of my favorite winter targets, the Pleiades are easily visible as a bright cluster of stars that resemble a 'tiny dipper.' You can see their faint bluish/purple glow with the naked eye and the Seven Sisters are photogenic and multiple focal lengths. This is a series of broadband RGB long exposures to bring out the subtle dust and nebulosity that surround this young group of stars.
M45 in 2022
A rare meeting of Mars and the Pleiades.
Mars and the Seven Sisters
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
A long exposure reveals the wispy tendrils of nebulosity that surround the major stars in M45 like a cocoon.
The Pleiades
Tag: 27 and 
Anticipating Andromeda. This is the time of year that M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, begins to appear for longer periods of time. I've done some fun shoots in the past, but this year I feel like it's time to go for a magnum opus photo (for me, personally) and I decided to practice some shots. Those are just practice shots, so I won't be posting them, but I did have my Sony Alpha 6300 ride shotgun on the imaging runs. It snapped this photo of the bright stars that define the Andromeda Constellation chasing the galaxy off the edge of the frame. This is 10 2-minute exposures.
M31 with the camera
Tag: 27 cas) 
A single exposure of Cassiopeia.
Cassiopeia at 50mm
This is my first attempt at the elusive and transluscent Ghost of Cassiopeia. It's in an easy location next to Navi, a major star in the constellation, but is a dark and detailed nebulae requiring long exposures and clear skies.
The Ghost of Cassiopeia
Tag: 27 cep 
Hours of 2-minute exposures using my Sony Alpha 6300 reveal the Milky Way's wall of stars, galaxies, and nebulae that's practically a 'star map' of who's who in common targets. Visible targets include Messier 52 (a cluster), the Bow-tie Nebula, the Bubble Nebula, and the Wizard Nebula. There are several other planetary and diffuse nebulae and galaxies to boot.
The Northern Stars
Tag: 29 and 
Anticipating Andromeda. This is the time of year that M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, begins to appear for longer periods of time. I've done some fun shoots in the past, but this year I feel like it's time to go for a magnum opus photo (for me, personally) and I decided to practice some shots. Those are just practice shots, so I won't be posting them, but I did have my Sony Alpha 6300 ride shotgun on the imaging runs. It snapped this photo of the bright stars that define the Andromeda Constellation chasing the galaxy off the edge of the frame. This is 10 2-minute exposures.
M31 with the camera
Tag: 3 aur) 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: 3 lyr) 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Tag: 30 and 
Anticipating Andromeda. This is the time of year that M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, begins to appear for longer periods of time. I've done some fun shoots in the past, but this year I feel like it's time to go for a magnum opus photo (for me, personally) and I decided to practice some shots. Those are just practice shots, so I won't be posting them, but I did have my Sony Alpha 6300 ride shotgun on the imaging runs. It snapped this photo of the bright stars that define the Andromeda Constellation chasing the galaxy off the edge of the frame. This is 10 2-minute exposures.
M31 with the camera
Tag: 31 and 
Anticipating Andromeda. This is the time of year that M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, begins to appear for longer periods of time. I've done some fun shoots in the past, but this year I feel like it's time to go for a magnum opus photo (for me, personally) and I decided to practice some shots. Those are just practice shots, so I won't be posting them, but I did have my Sony Alpha 6300 ride shotgun on the imaging runs. It snapped this photo of the bright stars that define the Andromeda Constellation chasing the galaxy off the edge of the frame. This is 10 2-minute exposures.
M31 with the camera
Tag: 31 cyg 
This beautiful region is full of stars and some of the most bright and beautiful nebulae including The Cygnus Loop (Veil Nebula), the North America Nebula, the Crescent Nebula and the Tulip Nebula.
The Colorful Field of Cygnus Stars
Tag: 32 cep 
Hours of 2-minute exposures using my Sony Alpha 6300 reveal the Milky Way's wall of stars, galaxies, and nebulae that's practically a 'star map' of who's who in common targets. Visible targets include Messier 52 (a cluster), the Bow-tie Nebula, the Bubble Nebula, and the Wizard Nebula. There are several other planetary and diffuse nebulae and galaxies to boot.
The Northern Stars
Tag: 32 cyg 
This beautiful region is full of stars and some of the most bright and beautiful nebulae including The Cygnus Loop (Veil Nebula), the North America Nebula, the Crescent Nebula and the Tulip Nebula.
The Colorful Field of Cygnus Stars
Tag: 33 cep) 
Hours of 2-minute exposures using my Sony Alpha 6300 reveal the Milky Way's wall of stars, galaxies, and nebulae that's practically a 'star map' of who's who in common targets. Visible targets include Messier 52 (a cluster), the Bow-tie Nebula, the Bubble Nebula, and the Wizard Nebula. There are several other planetary and diffuse nebulae and galaxies to boot.
The Northern Stars
Tag: 34 aur) 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: 34 cep 
Hours of 2-minute exposures using my Sony Alpha 6300 reveal the Milky Way's wall of stars, galaxies, and nebulae that's practically a 'star map' of who's who in common targets. Visible targets include Messier 52 (a cluster), the Bow-tie Nebula, the Bubble Nebula, and the Wizard Nebula. There are several other planetary and diffuse nebulae and galaxies to boot.
The Northern Stars
Tag: 35 and 
Anticipating Andromeda. This is the time of year that M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, begins to appear for longer periods of time. I've done some fun shoots in the past, but this year I feel like it's time to go for a magnum opus photo (for me, personally) and I decided to practice some shots. Those are just practice shots, so I won't be posting them, but I did have my Sony Alpha 6300 ride shotgun on the imaging runs. It snapped this photo of the bright stars that define the Andromeda Constellation chasing the galaxy off the edge of the frame. This is 10 2-minute exposures.
M31 with the camera
A first look at the Andromeda Galaxy as it reappears in the fall of 2022. Captured unguided on the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM).
M31: Andromeda Galaxy in 2022
Tag: 37 and 
Anticipating Andromeda. This is the time of year that M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, begins to appear for longer periods of time. I've done some fun shoots in the past, but this year I feel like it's time to go for a magnum opus photo (for me, personally) and I decided to practice some shots. Those are just practice shots, so I won't be posting them, but I did have my Sony Alpha 6300 ride shotgun on the imaging runs. It snapped this photo of the bright stars that define the Andromeda Constellation chasing the galaxy off the edge of the frame. This is 10 2-minute exposures.
M31 with the camera
Tag: 37 aur) 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: 37 cas) 
A single exposure of Cassiopeia.
Cassiopeia at 50mm
Tag: 37 cyg) 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
This beautiful region is full of stars and some of the most bright and beautiful nebulae including The Cygnus Loop (Veil Nebula), the North America Nebula, the Crescent Nebula and the Tulip Nebula.
The Colorful Field of Cygnus Stars
The Sadr region is the name of the nebulosity that surrounds the brilliant center star of Cygnus' cross. Here, the massive supergiant estimated to contain over 10 times the mass the sun in a radius 150 times as wide glows triumphantly in the center of the frame.
The Sadr Region
Tag: 41 ori a) 
A detailed stack of eight different sessions to produce a detailed portrait of one of the largest, brightest, and most intricately detailed nebulae.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula
Tag: 41 ori c 
A detailed stack of eight different sessions to produce a detailed portrait of one of the largest, brightest, and most intricately detailed nebulae.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula
Tag: 41 ori d 
A detailed stack of eight different sessions to produce a detailed portrait of one of the largest, brightest, and most intricately detailed nebulae.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula
Tag: 41 sgr) 
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Tag: 43 and) 
Anticipating Andromeda. This is the time of year that M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, begins to appear for longer periods of time. I've done some fun shoots in the past, but this year I feel like it's time to go for a magnum opus photo (for me, personally) and I decided to practice some shots. Those are just practice shots, so I won't be posting them, but I did have my Sony Alpha 6300 ride shotgun on the imaging runs. It snapped this photo of the bright stars that define the Andromeda Constellation chasing the galaxy off the edge of the frame. This is 10 2-minute exposures.
M31 with the camera
Tag: 43 ori) 
A detailed stack of eight different sessions to produce a detailed portrait of one of the largest, brightest, and most intricately detailed nebulae.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula
Tag: 43 tau 
A rare meeting of Mars and the Pleiades.
Mars and the Seven Sisters
Tag: 44 per) 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: 45 cas) 
A single exposure of Cassiopeia.
Cassiopeia at 50mm
Tag: 48 ari) 
The Pleiades rise with Mars. This is my second year of astrophotography, and I got a bit sentimental when I realized I would be able to see the Pleiades in the morning. When I started this hobby in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, the nights were long and cold while the planets rose high and early. Orion dominated the southern skies, and the Seven Sisters were ever present. My first photographs using a regular camera were of this easy-to-locate cluster with pockets of nebulosity. Seeing them again heralds Autumn, with new nebula, wide field shots of flames and horseheads, rosettes and runners, sisters and monkeyheads. So, I decided to capture a picture and as I was framing the 55mm shot, I realized Mars could just squeeze into it. It was past nautical dawn, so I ditched the idea of a 5-minute exposure. Normally I stack 30-second exposures, but I felt like 2 minutes would be enough to capture the cluster even if I didn't catch the wispy blue nebulosity while keeping Mars from completely oversaturating. Here's the result. This is a single two-minute exposure of 'The Pleiades rise with Mars.'
M45 and Mars
Tag: 49 cap) 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
Tag: 5 cas 
Hours of 2-minute exposures using my Sony Alpha 6300 reveal the Milky Way's wall of stars, galaxies, and nebulae that's practically a 'star map' of who's who in common targets. Visible targets include Messier 52 (a cluster), the Bow-tie Nebula, the Bubble Nebula, and the Wizard Nebula. There are several other planetary and diffuse nebulae and galaxies to boot.
The Northern Stars
Tag: 5 tau 
The Pleiades rise with Mars. This is my second year of astrophotography, and I got a bit sentimental when I realized I would be able to see the Pleiades in the morning. When I started this hobby in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, the nights were long and cold while the planets rose high and early. Orion dominated the southern skies, and the Seven Sisters were ever present. My first photographs using a regular camera were of this easy-to-locate cluster with pockets of nebulosity. Seeing them again heralds Autumn, with new nebula, wide field shots of flames and horseheads, rosettes and runners, sisters and monkeyheads. So, I decided to capture a picture and as I was framing the 55mm shot, I realized Mars could just squeeze into it. It was past nautical dawn, so I ditched the idea of a 5-minute exposure. Normally I stack 30-second exposures, but I felt like 2 minutes would be enough to capture the cluster even if I didn't catch the wispy blue nebulosity while keeping Mars from completely oversaturating. Here's the result. This is a single two-minute exposure of 'The Pleiades rise with Mars.'
M45 and Mars
Tag: 50 aql) 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Tag: 50 cyg) 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
This beautiful region is full of stars and some of the most bright and beautiful nebulae including The Cygnus Loop (Veil Nebula), the North America Nebula, the Crescent Nebula and the Tulip Nebula.
The Colorful Field of Cygnus Stars
Tag: 53 aql) 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Tag: 53 cyg) 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Tag: 53 peg) 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
Tag: 57 ari) 
The Pleiades rise with Mars. This is my second year of astrophotography, and I got a bit sentimental when I realized I would be able to see the Pleiades in the morning. When I started this hobby in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, the nights were long and cold while the planets rose high and early. Orion dominated the southern skies, and the Seven Sisters were ever present. My first photographs using a regular camera were of this easy-to-locate cluster with pockets of nebulosity. Seeing them again heralds Autumn, with new nebula, wide field shots of flames and horseheads, rosettes and runners, sisters and monkeyheads. So, I decided to capture a picture and as I was framing the 55mm shot, I realized Mars could just squeeze into it. It was past nautical dawn, so I ditched the idea of a 5-minute exposure. Normally I stack 30-second exposures, but I felt like 2 minutes would be enough to capture the cluster even if I didn't catch the wispy blue nebulosity while keeping Mars from completely oversaturating. Here's the result. This is a single two-minute exposure of 'The Pleiades rise with Mars.'
M45 and Mars
Tag: 58 ari) 
The Pleiades rise with Mars. This is my second year of astrophotography, and I got a bit sentimental when I realized I would be able to see the Pleiades in the morning. When I started this hobby in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, the nights were long and cold while the planets rose high and early. Orion dominated the southern skies, and the Seven Sisters were ever present. My first photographs using a regular camera were of this easy-to-locate cluster with pockets of nebulosity. Seeing them again heralds Autumn, with new nebula, wide field shots of flames and horseheads, rosettes and runners, sisters and monkeyheads. So, I decided to capture a picture and as I was framing the 55mm shot, I realized Mars could just squeeze into it. It was past nautical dawn, so I ditched the idea of a 5-minute exposure. Normally I stack 30-second exposures, but I felt like 2 minutes would be enough to capture the cluster even if I didn't catch the wispy blue nebulosity while keeping Mars from completely oversaturating. Here's the result. This is a single two-minute exposure of 'The Pleiades rise with Mars.'
M45 and Mars
Tag: 58 ori) 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: 6 cyg a) 
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Tag: 61 tau) 
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
Tag: 62 cyg 
This 336mm focal length shot captures such how expansive, bright, and beautiful the North America Nebula is.
NGC7000 A Wide Field North America Nebula
A widefield shot showing the full nebula using 5-minute exposures.
NGC7000 The North America Nebula framed
Tag: 64 cyg) 
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Tag: 65 tau) 
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
Tag: 68 tau 
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
Tag: 69 tau) 
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
Tag: 7 cas 
Hours of 2-minute exposures using my Sony Alpha 6300 reveal the Milky Way's wall of stars, galaxies, and nebulae that's practically a 'star map' of who's who in common targets. Visible targets include Messier 52 (a cluster), the Bow-tie Nebula, the Bubble Nebula, and the Wizard Nebula. There are several other planetary and diffuse nebulae and galaxies to boot.
The Northern Stars
Tag: 8 peg) 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
Tag: 87 tau) 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: Al baldah (π sgr 
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Tag: Al janah (ε cyg 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Tag: Al mankib 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: Albireo 
Albireo is a bright binary star system featuring a stark contrast between the primarily yellow A star and bluish secondary star.
Albireo
Tag: Alhajoth (α aur 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: Almeisan (γ gem 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: Altair 
This is a close and personal view of α Aquilae, the point of the Summer Triangle known as Altair. Single 55-second exposure at 2,035mm focal length.
Altair
Tag: Amas de l'ecu de sobieski 
An open cluster of stars discovered in 1681.
M11: The Wild Duck Cluster
Tag: Andromeda galaxy 
The Andromeda Galaxy for 24 minutes in one-shot color.
Andromeda's Splendour
A detailed capture taken by composing multiple exposures and filters.
Composite Andromeda Galaxy
Anticipating Andromeda. This is the time of year that M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, begins to appear for longer periods of time. I've done some fun shoots in the past, but this year I feel like it's time to go for a magnum opus photo (for me, personally) and I decided to practice some shots. Those are just practice shots, so I won't be posting them, but I did have my Sony Alpha 6300 ride shotgun on the imaging runs. It snapped this photo of the bright stars that define the Andromeda Constellation chasing the galaxy off the edge of the frame. This is 10 2-minute exposures.
M31 with the camera
The Andromeda Galaxy occupies a large field of view. It is both near to the Milky Way and bright enough to see with the naked eye.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy
Over 2,000 10-second exposures went into stacking 6 panels that were blended to produce this capture of Andromeda with neighboring galaxies M32 and M110.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy Mosaic
A first look at the Andromeda Galaxy as it reappears in the fall of 2022. Captured unguided on the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM).
M31: Andromeda Galaxy in 2022
First attempt at capturing this galaxy with nothing but an ordinary camera and zoom lens.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy with Camera
A detailed image taken over just a few minutes with a remotely controlled telescope in Spain.
M31: via iTelescope in Spain
An interim stack of multiple sessions for a 2022 project to achieve as detailed an M31 as possible.
The Andromeda Galaxy in 2022
Wide angle shot using the Star Adventurer Mini (SAM).
The Milky Way meets Andromeda Galaxy
Tag: Antares 
Antares is a red supergiant with 12x the mass of the sun about 550 light years from the sun.
Antares
Tag: Arcturus 
The brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, Arcturus is 25 times the size of the sun and 170 times as bright.
Arcturus
Tag: Arided 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
This beautiful region is full of stars and some of the most bright and beautiful nebulae including The Cygnus Loop (Veil Nebula), the North America Nebula, the Crescent Nebula and the Tulip Nebula.
The Colorful Field of Cygnus Stars
Tag: Aridif 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
This beautiful region is full of stars and some of the most bright and beautiful nebulae including The Cygnus Loop (Veil Nebula), the North America Nebula, the Crescent Nebula and the Tulip Nebula.
The Colorful Field of Cygnus Stars
Tag: Arrioph (α cyg 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
This beautiful region is full of stars and some of the most bright and beautiful nebulae including The Cygnus Loop (Veil Nebula), the North America Nebula, the Crescent Nebula and the Tulip Nebula.
The Colorful Field of Cygnus Stars
Tag: Barnard's merope nebula 
The Pleiades rise with Mars. This is my second year of astrophotography, and I got a bit sentimental when I realized I would be able to see the Pleiades in the morning. When I started this hobby in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, the nights were long and cold while the planets rose high and early. Orion dominated the southern skies, and the Seven Sisters were ever present. My first photographs using a regular camera were of this easy-to-locate cluster with pockets of nebulosity. Seeing them again heralds Autumn, with new nebula, wide field shots of flames and horseheads, rosettes and runners, sisters and monkeyheads. So, I decided to capture a picture and as I was framing the 55mm shot, I realized Mars could just squeeze into it. It was past nautical dawn, so I ditched the idea of a 5-minute exposure. Normally I stack 30-second exposures, but I felt like 2 minutes would be enough to capture the cluster even if I didn't catch the wispy blue nebulosity while keeping Mars from completely oversaturating. Here's the result. This is a single two-minute exposure of 'The Pleiades rise with Mars.'
M45 and Mars
One of my favorite winter targets, the Pleiades are easily visible as a bright cluster of stars that resemble a 'tiny dipper.' You can see their faint bluish/purple glow with the naked eye and the Seven Sisters are photogenic and multiple focal lengths. This is a series of broadband RGB long exposures to bring out the subtle dust and nebulosity that surround this young group of stars.
M45 in 2022
The Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, are visible to the naked eye, resolve in binoculars and can be captured by regular cameras. This is the first time I've collected enough exposure to capture the delicate nebulosity that surrounds these beautiful blue stars.
M45: The Luminous Pleiades
40 2-minute exposures in Bortle 5.
M45: The Merope Nebula
A brilliant blue cluster wreathed in intricate strands of nebula.
Maia Nebula
A rare meeting of Mars and the Pleiades.
Mars and the Seven Sisters
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
A long exposure reveals the wispy tendrils of nebulosity that surround the major stars in M45 like a cocoon.
The Pleiades
Tag: Beehive 
The 44th item in the Messier catalog is a bright, open cluster visible to the naked eye and one of the closest to the earth.
M44: The Beehive Cluster
Tag: Bellatrix 
This detailed photograph of the Orion constellation is rich nebulae. The Flame Nebula is on the left of the 'belt' and the Orion Nebula pops at the bottom of the 'sword'.
Detailed Orion with Flame Nebula and Orion Nebula
The Orion constellation is easily recognizable by the bright red Betelgeuse 'shoulder', three stars to form the 'belt' and a sword tipped with a nebula visible to the naked eye.
Orion
Tag: Betelgeuse 
A look back at the first year of my astrophotography with my favorite photos from 2021.
2021 in Retrospective and Favorite Photos
This detailed photograph of the Orion constellation is rich nebulae. The Flame Nebula is on the left of the 'belt' and the Orion Nebula pops at the bottom of the 'sword'.
Detailed Orion with Flame Nebula and Orion Nebula
The Orion constellation is easily recognizable by the bright red Betelgeuse 'shoulder', three stars to form the 'belt' and a sword tipped with a nebula visible to the naked eye.
Orion
Tag: Betelgeux (α ori 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: Black eye galaxy 
This lonely galaxy is obscurred by a dark band of dust.
M64: The Black Eye Galaxy
Tag: Bode's galaxy 
These two galaxies are bright enough to be seen with binoculars and close enough to capture together in a single frame.
M81 and M82
M81 imaged over 5 sessions and 1 year.
M81: Bode's Galaxy
I shot this image with two sets. One was with a UV/IR cut filter, the other with a 7 nanometer narrowband for Ha and OII.
M81: Bode's Galaxy with Hydrogen Alpha
Tag: Brocchi's cluster 
Brocchi's cluster is a beautiful asterism made of colorful stars that randomly form a coat hanger pattern. This image is a mosaic to capture the full starfield.
Collinder399: The Coat Hanger
Tag: Bubble nebula 
The bubble is a cloud of molecular gas blown outward by an energetic young star and supercharged so it glows.
NGC7635: The Bubble Nebula
A detailed look at this amazing bubble of windswept particles being irradiated by a giant star 45 times as massive as our own sun.
NGC7635: The Bubble Nebula in Red
Tag: C/2017 k2 
C/2017 K2 (PanSTARR) is a comet discovered around five years ago. It is notable for the amount of activity it exhibited despite being so far from the sun. This image is a single core from 3 2-minute exposures with the background stars fixed.
C/2017 K2 PanSTARR Single Core
Tag: California nebula 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
This picture is just a small part of the California-shaped NGC1499, a faint nebula that requires lots of exposure and/or narrowband filters to truly appreciate.
NGC1499: The Calfornia Nebula
Tag: Camera 
How to take deep sky pictures of galaxies and nebulae using nothing but a camera and a tripod.
Astrophotography without a telescope
I recently purchased a SkyWatcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM) to take longer exposures with my camera. I'll talk about what that all means and show you examples of what can be produced.
Camera Astrophotography with Tracking: Star Adventurer Mini (SAM)
Tag: Capella 
The star Capella is less than 50 light years from the sun. Although it appears to be a single star, it is actually a quad system comprised of a pair of binary stars.
Capella
Tag: Caroline's rose 
Caroline's Rose is a cluster of about 1,000 stars that spans 50 light years and shares the apparent size of the moon.
NGC7789: Caroline's Rose
Tag: Cassiopeia 
A look back at the first year of my astrophotography with my favorite photos from 2021.
2021 in Retrospective and Favorite Photos
I recently purchased a SkyWatcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM) to take longer exposures with my camera. I'll talk about what that all means and show you examples of what can be produced.
Camera Astrophotography with Tracking: Star Adventurer Mini (SAM)
Tag: Checkmark nebula 
A nebula with many names, the swan, lobster or horseshoe nebula is a bright object that is easy to capture.
M17: The Omega Nebula
Tag: Cheleb (βoph) 
This glimpse of star-filled skies features a dense part of the Milky Way.
A Glimpse of the Milky Way
Venus is partially covered by clouds. To the left rises the core of the Milky Way.
The Milky Way over Venus
Tag: Chi persei cluster 
A bright and colorful grouping of two clusters that span a section of the sky twice the size of a full moon.
NGC884 and NGC869: The Double Cluster in Perseus
Tag: Christmas tree cluster 
This dense patch of stars and nebulae hosts a variety of targets. Starting at the bottom is the Cone Nebula. The top of the cone touches the inserted peak of the Christmas Tree Cluster. Past the faintly visible Snowflake Nebula is the bluish Fox Fur Nebula.
NGC2264: The Christmas Tree Cluster and Friends
Tag: Cigar galaxy 
These two galaxies are bright enough to be seen with binoculars and close enough to capture together in a single frame.
M81 and M82
'Come on here, dear boy, have a cigar...' a Cigar Galaxy, that is. M82 is in close proximity to M81 (Bode's Galaxy) and it's believed that gravitational interactions between the two created what is known as a 'starburst' that can be easily seen in the middle.
M82 in Hydrogen Alpha
M82 is a starburst galaxy that contains one of the brightest pulsars known.
M82: The Cigar Galaxy
Tag: Clavius 
A close up of the multiple craters including Clavius.
The Clavius crater region
Tag: Cocoon nebula 
A high res look at this fascinating combination of reflection and emission with cosmic dust.
IC5146: The Vast Cocoon
The cocoon nebula incubates at a distance of about 4,000 light years, awainting its transformation as a reflection and emission nebula.
NGC5146: The Cocoon Nebula
Tag: Comet 
C/2017 K2 (PanSTARR) is a comet discovered around five years ago. It is notable for the amount of activity it exhibited despite being so far from the sun. This image is a single core from 3 2-minute exposures with the background stars fixed.
C/2017 K2 PanSTARR Single Core
C/2017 K2 (PanSTARR) is a comet discovered around five years ago. It is notable for the amount of activity it exhibited despite being so far from the sun. It is at its brightest from Earth this week at a distance of 'just' 270 million kilometers. When it reaches its closest distance to the sun (perihelion) it will be closer to Mars and less visible. This image shows the superimposed core arcing across the sky for about 30 minutes.
C/2017 K2 PanSTARR Timelapse
Tag: Cone nebula 
This dense patch of stars and nebulae hosts a variety of targets. Starting at the bottom is the Cone Nebula. The top of the cone touches the inserted peak of the Christmas Tree Cluster. Past the faintly visible Snowflake Nebula is the bluish Fox Fur Nebula.
NGC2264: The Christmas Tree Cluster and Friends
Tag: Cor tauri 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: Crab nebula 
It started as a supernova recorded by Chinese astronomers in 1054 AD. M1, the Crab Nebula, is the expanding remnant of that millenia old explosion.
M1: The Crab Nebula
Tag: Crescent nebula 
This part of the sky is bursting with clusters and nebulae as the Milky Way dominates the background behind part of the Cygnus constellation.
A Starfield in the Cygnus Contellation
The Crescent Nebula is formed by the interaction of stellar winds around a red giant.
NGC6888: The Crescent Nebula
A close-up of the Crescent Nebula. NGC6888 is the expanding shell of an ancient supernova with supercharged dust particles that glow from the energy of nearby stars.
NGC6888: The Crescent Nebula Rave Edition
This is a long focal length (1645mm) capture of the Crescent Nebula using a narrowband filter to enhace the detail.
NGC6888: The Crescent Nebula in Hydrogen Alpha
This beautiful region is full of stars and some of the most bright and beautiful nebulae including The Cygnus Loop (Veil Nebula), the North America Nebula, the Crescent Nebula and the Tulip Nebula.
The Colorful Field of Cygnus Stars
Fourth time is the charm? Another attempt to image this bright but complex nebula that looks like a red brain wrapped in blue gel.
The Crescent Brain
Tag: Deconvolution 
A full end-to-end processing workflow for my camera-only (no telescope) photos focused on PixInsight. Contains some advanced tips for rounding stars, stretching contrast, and making masks.
My Camera Processing Workflow with PixInsight
Tag: Deneb al okab australis 
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Tag: Deneb el okab (ζ aql 
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Tag: Dumbbell nebula 
This bright nebula visible in binoculars is a planetary nebula surrounding a white dwarf star.
M27: Dumbbell Nebula
This bright close-up of the Dumbbell Nebula combines traditional RGB with highlights in H-alpha (Ha) provided by a narrowband Optolong L-Extreme filter. 30 minutes with a UV/IR cut filter and 28 minutes with the L-Extreme.
M27: Dumbbell Nebula with Optolong L-Extreme
A quick imaging session to capture the beauty and detail of planetary nebula M27.
M27: The Dumbbell Nebula in 10 minutes
Tag: Eagle nebula 
This glimpse of star-filled skies features a dense part of the Milky Way.
A Glimpse of the Milky Way
Located along the 'spine' of the Milky Way near several other popular nebulae, M16 has many names from the Star Queen to the Eagle Nebula. A vast emission nebula, at its heart lies the fabled Pillars of Creation. Just over 3 hours exposure went into this image.
M16 Eagle Nebula
The Eagle Nebula spreads its wings along the spine of the Milky Way. It embraces massive pillars of star-forming dust known as the Pillars of Creation.
M16: Portrait of the Eagle Nebula
M16 is called the Eagle Nebula due to its overall shape, but it's the smoky columns that span lightyears in height that make it famous. The columns are called the Pillars of Creation.
M16: The Eagle Nebula
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Venus is partially covered by clouds. To the left rises the core of the Milky Way.
The Milky Way over Venus
I only spent 30 minutes imaging the heart of the Eagle Nebula (M16) commonly known as the Pillars of Creation. This shot is a combination of RGB and Hydrogen alpha.
The Pillars of Creation
Tag: El nath (β tau 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: Elephant trunk nebula 
IC1396A is the designation for the Elephant Trunk Nebula: a dense cloud of ionized gas that has been compressed into a round shape from opposing forces of a massive star and several younger stars. The larger star illuminates the edge of the cloud and provides contrast for the trunk that curls at the end of a long column of interstellar dust. It is believed this compressed gas is forming into protostars.
Close to the Elephant Trunk
Tag: Epsilon 
Epsilon Lyr, in the constellation Lyrae, looks like two bright blue stars, but each star is actually a binary system.
Epsilon: the Double Double
Tag: Epsilon lyr 
Epsilon Lyr, in the constellation Lyrae, looks like two bright blue stars, but each star is actually a binary system.
Epsilon: the Double Double
Tag: Erakis (μ cep) 
In the constellation Cepheus lies a large area of glowing cosmic dust that is silhouetted by surrounding clouds of dark dust. This region is believed to be a star-forming area using materials like the particles that make up a massive column that curls at the end like an elephant's trunk. This is a wide field view of IC1396, the Elephant's Trunk Nebula, processed from regular light and narrowband using the Optolong l-eXtreme filter.
The Full Elephant
Tag: Evil eye galaxy 
This lonely galaxy is obscurred by a dark band of dust.
M64: The Black Eye Galaxy
Tag: Exposure 
How to take deep sky pictures of galaxies and nebulae using nothing but a camera and a tripod.
Astrophotography without a telescope
I recently purchased a SkyWatcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM) to take longer exposures with my camera. I'll talk about what that all means and show you examples of what can be produced.
Camera Astrophotography with Tracking: Star Adventurer Mini (SAM)
Tag: Fawaris ii (δ cyg 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
This beautiful region is full of stars and some of the most bright and beautiful nebulae including The Cygnus Loop (Veil Nebula), the North America Nebula, the Crescent Nebula and the Tulip Nebula.
The Colorful Field of Cygnus Stars
Tag: Fetus nebula 
The so-called fetus nebula looks like an embryo stretched one light year in diameter waiting to be born 2,800 light years away.
NGC7008: The Fetus Nebula
Tag: Fidis 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Tag: Flame nebula 
This detailed photograph of the Orion constellation is rich nebulae. The Flame Nebula is on the left of the 'belt' and the Orion Nebula pops at the bottom of the 'sword'.
Detailed Orion with Flame Nebula and Orion Nebula
IC434 illuminates the nearby Horsehead Nebula that rears its head in silhouette. Dominating left is the triple star system Alnitak with its main superhot blue giant centerpiece that adorns the undulating waves of NGC2024, the Flame Nebula.
IC434 NGC2024: The Horse and the Flame
Although we tend to refer to IC434 as the Horsehead Nebula, it's actually an emission nebula hidden behind the Horsehead nebula. The latter is made up of dark dust that is illuminated by the former. This framing honors the beauty and grace of the horse's silhouette, but I'm working on a mosaic that captures the broader area to include the Flame Nebula (NGC2024).
IC434: The Nebula Behind the Horsehead
The star ζ Orionis (Alnitak) is the leftmost star on the constellation Orion's belt. It is a triple star system hosted by a blue supergiant. Next to it bursts the Flame Nebula, an emission nebular supercharged by ultraviolet rays emanating from Alnitak. Often grouped with the more iconic Horsehead Nebula (IC434), the Flame stands well on its own.
NGC2024: The Flame Nebula
The Orion constellation is easily recognizable by the bright red Betelgeuse 'shoulder', three stars to form the 'belt' and a sword tipped with a nebula visible to the naked eye.
Orion
A capture of Orion's belt.
Orion's Belt
Took ~350 4-second 210mm of Orion's belt: Alnitak (with NGC2024 the Flame Nebula and IC434 the Horesehead Nebula), Alnilam and Mintaka. First pic of 2022!
Orion's Belt New Year 2022
A combination of new images for the Flame and Horsehead nebulae.
Orion's Belt: Another Take
Beautiful and brilliant colors abound in the swirls of intergalactic dust lit by stellar jewels in the region of constellation Orion's belt.
Orion's jeweled belt at 336mm
The Easternmost jewel on Orion's belt is brilliant Alnitak, a bright star that bombards NGC 2024 The Flame Nebula with ultraviolet light, causing the gases to glow and form a brilliant orange flame. Nearby, a cloud of dust is illuminated from behind by emission nebula IC434 to create a strikingly horsehead-like silhouette.
The Horse and the Flame
The Orion constellation.
The Orion Constellation (sans Betelgeuse)
An Optolong L-Extreme filter helped bring out the rich red that gives this deep sky object the lesser known name of Flame Nebula.
The Red and the Horsehead.
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
Tag: Fom (ε peg 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
Tag: Fox fur nebula 
This dense patch of stars and nebulae hosts a variety of targets. Starting at the bottom is the Cone Nebula. The top of the cone touches the inserted peak of the Christmas Tree Cluster. Past the faintly visible Snowflake Nebula is the bluish Fox Fur Nebula.
NGC2264: The Christmas Tree Cluster and Friends
Tag: Galaxy 
The journey to capture M33 that lasted almost a year.
Finding redemption in M33: The Triangulum Galaxy
Tag: Ghost of cassipeia 
γ Cas or gamma Cas is the middle point of the 'W' that makes up the constellation Cassiopeia. It is a rapidly spinning variable star that is incredibly bright. It dominates the scene and overpowers the delicate, faint reflection nebula nearby designed IC59 and named, 'The Ghost of Cassiopeia.' It took me over 500 exposures to draw out the detail of this elusive nebula.
IC59: The Ghost of Cassiopeia
Tag: Gienah cygni 
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Tag: Great orion nebula 
This detailed photograph of the Orion constellation is rich nebulae. The Flame Nebula is on the left of the 'belt' and the Orion Nebula pops at the bottom of the 'sword'.
Detailed Orion with Flame Nebula and Orion Nebula
A detailed stack of eight different sessions to produce a detailed portrait of one of the largest, brightest, and most intricately detailed nebulae.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula
This image was rendered from nearly 600 10-second exposures collected over a year.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula Multi-Session
Orion's sword contains multiple nebulae as evidenced in this wide field mirrorless camera shot.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula and NGC1977: The Running Man Nebula
A stack of over 800 exposures to grab as much detail as possible.
M42: The Orion Nebula in rich detail
The Orion constellation is easily recognizable by the bright red Betelgeuse 'shoulder', three stars to form the 'belt' and a sword tipped with a nebula visible to the naked eye.
Orion
This close-up of the sword in the Orion constellation actually captures x nebula and clusters, including the Great Orion Nebula, De Marain's Nebula, the Running Man Nebula, and the Lost Jewel of Orion.
Orion's Sword
The Running Man Nebula (NGC1977), De Mairan's Nebula (M42) and the Great Orion Nebula (M43) are beautiful on their own. That beauty stands out in contrast when you witness the wider field of view that contains all three Nebulae on the glowing tip of Orion's sword. This is a mosaic of all three with 400mm exposures from Stellina.
Orion's Sword at 400mm
The purple running man hangs suspended above the red-cloaked Great Orion Nebulae. M42, M43, and NGC1977 together in the same frame!
The Beauty of Orion's Sword
The Orion constellation.
The Orion Constellation (sans Betelgeuse)
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
An integration of several hours of data.
Two Hours of M42
Tag: H persei cluster 
A bright and colorful grouping of two clusters that span a section of the sky twice the size of a full moon.
NGC884 and NGC869: The Double Cluster in Perseus
Tag: Helix nebula 
NGC7293 is the Helix Nebula, a planetary nebula about 600 - 700 light years from Earth. It's distinctive shape has given it the nicknames 'Eye of God' and 'Eye of Sauron.' From my location it never rises more than 30 degrees above the horizon so it was a tricky one to observe.
NGC7293: The Helix Nebula
NGC7293 is a planetary nebula that stays low on the horizon at my latitude. It is almost always low in the atmosphere glow of the horizon and often near a streetlamp. I wasn't expecting much when I spent an hour taking 20 5-minute captures while waiting for the Pleiades to rise, but I was surprised when I processed the results. This nebula is less than 1000 light years away. Do you feel like someone is watching you? It should be obvious why the Helix Nebula is sometimes called the 'Eye of God.'
The Eye of God
Tag: Hercules globular cluster 
This cluster, just barely visible to the naked eye, contains several hundred thousand stars in its diameter of 145 light years.
M13: The Hercules Globular Cluster
Tag: Horsehead nebula 
IC434 illuminates the nearby Horsehead Nebula that rears its head in silhouette. Dominating left is the triple star system Alnitak with its main superhot blue giant centerpiece that adorns the undulating waves of NGC2024, the Flame Nebula.
IC434 NGC2024: The Horse and the Flame
Beautiful and brilliant colors abound in the swirls of intergalactic dust lit by stellar jewels in the region of constellation Orion's belt.
Orion's jeweled belt at 336mm
The Easternmost jewel on Orion's belt is brilliant Alnitak, a bright star that bombards NGC 2024 The Flame Nebula with ultraviolet light, causing the gases to glow and form a brilliant orange flame. Nearby, a cloud of dust is illuminated from behind by emission nebula IC434 to create a strikingly horsehead-like silhouette.
The Horse and the Flame
Tag: Hyadum ii (δ1 tau 
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
Tag: Ic 341 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
Tag: Ic 349 
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
Tag: Ic 353 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
Tag: Ic 354 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
Tag: Ic 360 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
Tag: Ic 423 
A capture of Orion's belt.
Orion's Belt
Tag: Ic 426 
A capture of Orion's belt.
Orion's Belt
Tag: Ic 49 
One of my favorite winter targets, the Pleiades are easily visible as a bright cluster of stars that resemble a 'tiny dipper.' You can see their faint bluish/purple glow with the naked eye and the Seven Sisters are photogenic and multiple focal lengths. This is a series of broadband RGB long exposures to bring out the subtle dust and nebulosity that surround this young group of stars.
M45 in 2022
Tag: Ic 5068 
This part of the sky is bursting with clusters and nebulae as the Milky Way dominates the background behind part of the Cygnus constellation.
A Starfield in the Cygnus Contellation
Tag: Ic1296 
A star shed this ring of ionized gas as it collapsed into a white dwarf.
M57: The Ring Nebula
Tag: Ic1340 
This beautiful nebula is part of a supernova remnant that spans a large field of view.
NGC6992: The Eastern Veil Nebula
The Cygnus Loop is a massive supernova remnant that emits radiation across the full electromagnetic spectrum. The broadband or visible portion is often classified as separate nebulae like NGC6960 ('The Veil Nebula' or the 'Witch's broom') and NGC6962. This is a wide field shot that captures the entire loop over 2 hours of exposure with a narrowband filter.
The full Cygnus Loop
Tag: Ic1396 
IC1396A is the designation for the Elephant Trunk Nebula: a dense cloud of ionized gas that has been compressed into a round shape from opposing forces of a massive star and several younger stars. The larger star illuminates the edge of the cloud and provides contrast for the trunk that curls at the end of a long column of interstellar dust. It is believed this compressed gas is forming into protostars.
Close to the Elephant Trunk
The long curling trunk is cosmos gas and dark dust believed to be forming stars across a massive region.
IC1396: The Elephant's Trunk
In the constellation Cepheus lies a large area of glowing cosmic dust that is silhouetted by surrounding clouds of dark dust. This region is believed to be a star-forming area using materials like the particles that make up a massive column that curls at the end like an elephant's trunk. This is a wide field view of IC1396, the Elephant's Trunk Nebula, processed from regular light and narrowband using the Optolong l-eXtreme filter.
The Full Elephant
Tag: Ic1590 
This nebula is named the Pacman nebula and you'll never guess why.
NGC281: The Pacman Nebula
NGC281 is the designation for a cluster of high mass stars that are 'only' 6,500 light-years away. They are also elevated from the galactic plane, making for easier observation. A thick band of dark cosmic dusk creates the illusion of a gaping mouth on what is called the Pacman Nebula.
Pacman
Tag: Ic1795 
A detailed look at the Heart Nebula.
Close to the Heart
The star cluster Melotte 15 contains bright young stars that energize hydrogen, causing it to emit the red light that illuminates this heart-shaped nebula. In the corner is its near companion Fishead Nebula.
IC1805: The Heart Nebula
Tag: Ic1805 
A detailed look at the Heart Nebula.
Close to the Heart
The star cluster Melotte 15 contains bright young stars that energize hydrogen, causing it to emit the red light that illuminates this heart-shaped nebula. In the corner is its near companion Fishead Nebula.
IC1805: The Heart Nebula
Wide angle shot using the Star Adventurer Mini (SAM).
The Milky Way meets Andromeda Galaxy
Tag: Ic1831 
Wide angle shot using the Star Adventurer Mini (SAM).
The Milky Way meets Andromeda Galaxy
Tag: Ic1848 
This large, intricate nebula is located next to the equally magnificent Heart Nebula, making them heart and soul together. This was a special capture because I used an ordinary star tracker (the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer Mini or SAM) on a tripod but managed to capture good images all night long.
Westerhous 5: The Soul Nebula
Tag: Ic1871 
This large, intricate nebula is located next to the equally magnificent Heart Nebula, making them heart and soul together. This was a special capture because I used an ordinary star tracker (the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer Mini or SAM) on a tripod but managed to capture good images all night long.
Westerhous 5: The Soul Nebula
Tag: Ic341 
The Pleiades rise with Mars. This is my second year of astrophotography, and I got a bit sentimental when I realized I would be able to see the Pleiades in the morning. When I started this hobby in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, the nights were long and cold while the planets rose high and early. Orion dominated the southern skies, and the Seven Sisters were ever present. My first photographs using a regular camera were of this easy-to-locate cluster with pockets of nebulosity. Seeing them again heralds Autumn, with new nebula, wide field shots of flames and horseheads, rosettes and runners, sisters and monkeyheads. So, I decided to capture a picture and as I was framing the 55mm shot, I realized Mars could just squeeze into it. It was past nautical dawn, so I ditched the idea of a 5-minute exposure. Normally I stack 30-second exposures, but I felt like 2 minutes would be enough to capture the cluster even if I didn't catch the wispy blue nebulosity while keeping Mars from completely oversaturating. Here's the result. This is a single two-minute exposure of 'The Pleiades rise with Mars.'
M45 and Mars
A rare meeting of Mars and the Pleiades.
Mars and the Seven Sisters
Tag: Ic348 
IC348 is a star-forming nebula with about 400 stars.
IC348
Tag: Ic349 
The Pleiades rise with Mars. This is my second year of astrophotography, and I got a bit sentimental when I realized I would be able to see the Pleiades in the morning. When I started this hobby in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, the nights were long and cold while the planets rose high and early. Orion dominated the southern skies, and the Seven Sisters were ever present. My first photographs using a regular camera were of this easy-to-locate cluster with pockets of nebulosity. Seeing them again heralds Autumn, with new nebula, wide field shots of flames and horseheads, rosettes and runners, sisters and monkeyheads. So, I decided to capture a picture and as I was framing the 55mm shot, I realized Mars could just squeeze into it. It was past nautical dawn, so I ditched the idea of a 5-minute exposure. Normally I stack 30-second exposures, but I felt like 2 minutes would be enough to capture the cluster even if I didn't catch the wispy blue nebulosity while keeping Mars from completely oversaturating. Here's the result. This is a single two-minute exposure of 'The Pleiades rise with Mars.'
M45 and Mars
The Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, are visible to the naked eye, resolve in binoculars and can be captured by regular cameras. This is the first time I've collected enough exposure to capture the delicate nebulosity that surrounds these beautiful blue stars.
M45: The Luminous Pleiades
40 2-minute exposures in Bortle 5.
M45: The Merope Nebula
The Pleiades is one of the closest star clusters to Earth and filled with bright blue stars.
M45: The Pleiades
A brilliant blue cluster wreathed in intricate strands of nebula.
Maia Nebula
A rare meeting of Mars and the Pleiades.
Mars and the Seven Sisters
A long exposure reveals the wispy tendrils of nebulosity that surround the major stars in M45 like a cocoon.
The Pleiades
Tag: Ic353 
The Pleiades rise with Mars. This is my second year of astrophotography, and I got a bit sentimental when I realized I would be able to see the Pleiades in the morning. When I started this hobby in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, the nights were long and cold while the planets rose high and early. Orion dominated the southern skies, and the Seven Sisters were ever present. My first photographs using a regular camera were of this easy-to-locate cluster with pockets of nebulosity. Seeing them again heralds Autumn, with new nebula, wide field shots of flames and horseheads, rosettes and runners, sisters and monkeyheads. So, I decided to capture a picture and as I was framing the 55mm shot, I realized Mars could just squeeze into it. It was past nautical dawn, so I ditched the idea of a 5-minute exposure. Normally I stack 30-second exposures, but I felt like 2 minutes would be enough to capture the cluster even if I didn't catch the wispy blue nebulosity while keeping Mars from completely oversaturating. Here's the result. This is a single two-minute exposure of 'The Pleiades rise with Mars.'
M45 and Mars
A rare meeting of Mars and the Pleiades.
Mars and the Seven Sisters
Tag: Ic354 
The Pleiades rise with Mars. This is my second year of astrophotography, and I got a bit sentimental when I realized I would be able to see the Pleiades in the morning. When I started this hobby in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, the nights were long and cold while the planets rose high and early. Orion dominated the southern skies, and the Seven Sisters were ever present. My first photographs using a regular camera were of this easy-to-locate cluster with pockets of nebulosity. Seeing them again heralds Autumn, with new nebula, wide field shots of flames and horseheads, rosettes and runners, sisters and monkeyheads. So, I decided to capture a picture and as I was framing the 55mm shot, I realized Mars could just squeeze into it. It was past nautical dawn, so I ditched the idea of a 5-minute exposure. Normally I stack 30-second exposures, but I felt like 2 minutes would be enough to capture the cluster even if I didn't catch the wispy blue nebulosity while keeping Mars from completely oversaturating. Here's the result. This is a single two-minute exposure of 'The Pleiades rise with Mars.'
M45 and Mars
A rare meeting of Mars and the Pleiades.
Mars and the Seven Sisters
Tag: Ic420 
Orion's sword contains multiple nebulae as evidenced in this wide field mirrorless camera shot.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula and NGC1977: The Running Man Nebula
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
Tag: Ic423 
Took ~350 4-second 210mm of Orion's belt: Alnitak (with NGC2024 the Flame Nebula and IC434 the Horesehead Nebula), Alnilam and Mintaka. First pic of 2022!
Orion's Belt New Year 2022
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
Tag: Ic426 
Took ~350 4-second 210mm of Orion's belt: Alnitak (with NGC2024 the Flame Nebula and IC434 the Horesehead Nebula), Alnilam and Mintaka. First pic of 2022!
Orion's Belt New Year 2022
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
Tag: Ic4263 
A stellar example of a grand-design galaxy, the whirlpool is tugging on its distant companion, the yellow NGC5195, and the resulting tidal forces may be creating new stars.
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy
Tag: Ic4277 
A stellar example of a grand-design galaxy, the whirlpool is tugging on its distant companion, the yellow NGC5195, and the resulting tidal forces may be creating new stars.
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy
5 sessions of exposures over one year!
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy in 2022
One of my favorite targets imaged for the first time with my Celestron telescope and the Optolong L-eXtreme filter.
M51: The Whirlpool Up Close
Tag: Ic4278 
One of my favorite targets imaged for the first time with my Celestron telescope and the Optolong L-eXtreme filter.
M51: The Whirlpool Up Close
Tag: Ic431 
A capture of Orion's belt.
Orion's Belt
Took ~350 4-second 210mm of Orion's belt: Alnitak (with NGC2024 the Flame Nebula and IC434 the Horesehead Nebula), Alnilam and Mintaka. First pic of 2022!
Orion's Belt New Year 2022
Beautiful and brilliant colors abound in the swirls of intergalactic dust lit by stellar jewels in the region of constellation Orion's belt.
Orion's jeweled belt at 336mm
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
Tag: Ic432 
The star ζ Orionis (Alnitak) is the leftmost star on the constellation Orion's belt. It is a triple star system hosted by a blue supergiant. Next to it bursts the Flame Nebula, an emission nebular supercharged by ultraviolet rays emanating from Alnitak. Often grouped with the more iconic Horsehead Nebula (IC434), the Flame stands well on its own.
NGC2024: The Flame Nebula
A capture of Orion's belt.
Orion's Belt
Took ~350 4-second 210mm of Orion's belt: Alnitak (with NGC2024 the Flame Nebula and IC434 the Horesehead Nebula), Alnilam and Mintaka. First pic of 2022!
Orion's Belt New Year 2022
A combination of new images for the Flame and Horsehead nebulae.
Orion's Belt: Another Take
Beautiful and brilliant colors abound in the swirls of intergalactic dust lit by stellar jewels in the region of constellation Orion's belt.
Orion's jeweled belt at 336mm
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
Tag: Ic434 
A look back at the first year of my astrophotography with my favorite photos from 2021.
2021 in Retrospective and Favorite Photos
This detailed photograph of the Orion constellation is rich nebulae. The Flame Nebula is on the left of the 'belt' and the Orion Nebula pops at the bottom of the 'sword'.
Detailed Orion with Flame Nebula and Orion Nebula
IC434 illuminates the nearby Horsehead Nebula that rears its head in silhouette. Dominating left is the triple star system Alnitak with its main superhot blue giant centerpiece that adorns the undulating waves of NGC2024, the Flame Nebula.
IC434 NGC2024: The Horse and the Flame
Although we tend to refer to IC434 as the Horsehead Nebula, it's actually an emission nebula hidden behind the Horsehead nebula. The latter is made up of dark dust that is illuminated by the former. This framing honors the beauty and grace of the horse's silhouette, but I'm working on a mosaic that captures the broader area to include the Flame Nebula (NGC2024).
IC434: The Nebula Behind the Horsehead
The Orion constellation is easily recognizable by the bright red Betelgeuse 'shoulder', three stars to form the 'belt' and a sword tipped with a nebula visible to the naked eye.
Orion
A capture of Orion's belt.
Orion's Belt
Took ~350 4-second 210mm of Orion's belt: Alnitak (with NGC2024 the Flame Nebula and IC434 the Horesehead Nebula), Alnilam and Mintaka. First pic of 2022!
Orion's Belt New Year 2022
A combination of new images for the Flame and Horsehead nebulae.
Orion's Belt: Another Take
Beautiful and brilliant colors abound in the swirls of intergalactic dust lit by stellar jewels in the region of constellation Orion's belt.
Orion's jeweled belt at 336mm
The Easternmost jewel on Orion's belt is brilliant Alnitak, a bright star that bombards NGC 2024 The Flame Nebula with ultraviolet light, causing the gases to glow and form a brilliant orange flame. Nearby, a cloud of dust is illuminated from behind by emission nebula IC434 to create a strikingly horsehead-like silhouette.
The Horse and the Flame
The Orion constellation.
The Orion Constellation (sans Betelgeuse)
An Optolong L-Extreme filter helped bring out the rich red that gives this deep sky object the lesser known name of Flame Nebula.
The Red and the Horsehead.
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
Tag: Ic435 
Took ~350 4-second 210mm of Orion's belt: Alnitak (with NGC2024 the Flame Nebula and IC434 the Horesehead Nebula), Alnilam and Mintaka. First pic of 2022!
Orion's Belt New Year 2022
A combination of new images for the Flame and Horsehead nebulae.
Orion's Belt: Another Take
Beautiful and brilliant colors abound in the swirls of intergalactic dust lit by stellar jewels in the region of constellation Orion's belt.
Orion's jeweled belt at 336mm
Tag: Ic4592 
Venus is partially covered by clouds. To the left rises the core of the Milky Way.
The Milky Way over Venus
Tag: Ic4617 
This cluster, just barely visible to the naked eye, contains several hundred thousand stars in its diameter of 145 light years.
M13: The Hercules Globular Cluster
Tag: Ic4701 
This glimpse of star-filled skies features a dense part of the Milky Way.
A Glimpse of the Milky Way
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Venus is partially covered by clouds. To the left rises the core of the Milky Way.
The Milky Way over Venus
Tag: Ic4703 
Located along the 'spine' of the Milky Way near several other popular nebulae, M16 has many names from the Star Queen to the Eagle Nebula. A vast emission nebula, at its heart lies the fabled Pillars of Creation. Just over 3 hours exposure went into this image.
M16 Eagle Nebula
The Eagle Nebula spreads its wings along the spine of the Milky Way. It embraces massive pillars of star-forming dust known as the Pillars of Creation.
M16: Portrait of the Eagle Nebula
M16 is called the Eagle Nebula due to its overall shape, but it's the smoky columns that span lightyears in height that make it famous. The columns are called the Pillars of Creation.
M16: The Eagle Nebula
I only spent 30 minutes imaging the heart of the Eagle Nebula (M16) commonly known as the Pillars of Creation. This shot is a combination of RGB and Hydrogen alpha.
The Pillars of Creation
Tag: Ic4706 
A nebula with many names, the swan, lobster or horseshoe nebula is a bright object that is easy to capture.
M17: The Omega Nebula
Tag: Ic4707 
A nebula with many names, the swan, lobster or horseshoe nebula is a bright object that is easy to capture.
M17: The Omega Nebula
Tag: Ic4715 
This glimpse of star-filled skies features a dense part of the Milky Way.
A Glimpse of the Milky Way
M24 is a Messier object that isn't a deep space target, but instead describes a region of the sky so dense with stars it forms a cloud named the Small Sagittarius Cloud.
M24: The Small Sagittarius Cloud
Venus is partially covered by clouds. To the left rises the core of the Milky Way.
The Milky Way over Venus
Tag: Ic5070 
This part of the sky is bursting with clusters and nebulae as the Milky Way dominates the background behind part of the Cygnus constellation.
A Starfield in the Cygnus Contellation
In the dark reaches of space there are columns of molecular dust that span light years and are illuminated by nearby stars. This nebula is part of a large and complex region.
IC5070: The Pelican Nebula
The narrowband Optolong l-eXtreme filter brings out the rich nebulosity of this large structure by filtering out everything by the hydrogen alpha and OIII wavelengthss. The image was blended with stars from a broadband exposure for context.
IC5070: The Pelican Nebula in Hydrogen alpha
A widefield shot showing the full nebula using 5-minute exposures.
NGC7000 The North America Nebula framed
Tag: Ic5134 
The Cosmic Rose is a hot cauldron of starbirth with vast molecular clouds that reflect the bluish light of young stars.
NGC7129: The Cosmic Rose
Tag: Ic5146 
A high res look at this fascinating combination of reflection and emission with cosmic dust.
IC5146: The Vast Cocoon
The cocoon nebula incubates at a distance of about 4,000 light years, awainting its transformation as a reflection and emission nebula.
NGC5146: The Cocoon Nebula
Tag: Ic59 
γ Cas or gamma Cas is the middle point of the 'W' that makes up the constellation Cassiopeia. It is a rapidly spinning variable star that is incredibly bright. It dominates the scene and overpowers the delicate, faint reflection nebula nearby designed IC59 and named, 'The Ghost of Cassiopeia.' It took me over 500 exposures to draw out the detail of this elusive nebula.
IC59: The Ghost of Cassiopeia
This is my first attempt at the elusive and transluscent Ghost of Cassiopeia. It's in an easy location next to Navi, a major star in the constellation, but is a dark and detailed nebulae requiring long exposures and clear skies.
The Ghost of Cassiopeia
Tag: Ic63 
γ Cas or gamma Cas is the middle point of the 'W' that makes up the constellation Cassiopeia. It is a rapidly spinning variable star that is incredibly bright. It dominates the scene and overpowers the delicate, faint reflection nebula nearby designed IC59 and named, 'The Ghost of Cassiopeia.' It took me over 500 exposures to draw out the detail of this elusive nebula.
IC59: The Ghost of Cassiopeia
This is my first attempt at the elusive and transluscent Ghost of Cassiopeia. It's in an easy location next to Navi, a major star in the constellation, but is a dark and detailed nebulae requiring long exposures and clear skies.
The Ghost of Cassiopeia
Tag: Ic783 
A grand design spiral nebula with a few neighbors.
M100
Tag: International space station 
A timelapse of the International Space Station (ISS) passing between Earth and the Moon.
July 2022 Lunar Transit by the International Space Station (ISS)
Tag: Iris nebula 
The Iris Nebula is a beautiful reflection nebula lit from behind by a bright star. Although the beautiful blue core is easily visible even with regular camera lenses, it takes dark skies and long exposures to bring out the subtle ripples of dust that appear to expand from the center.
NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula and Cosmic Dust
This inky nebula is a reflection nebula that is illuminated by a central star and glows blue.
NGC7023: The Iris Nebula
Tag: Iss 
A timelapse of the International Space Station (ISS) passing between Earth and the Moon.
July 2022 Lunar Transit by the International Space Station (ISS)
Tag: Jupiter 
A look back at the first year of my astrophotography with my favorite photos from 2021.
2021 in Retrospective and Favorite Photos
A conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus at dusk.
Conjunction at Dusk
I mistimed my attempt to capture the Great Red Spot but gots lots of detail with Io just appearing as well.
Jupiter and Io
This is a capture of Jupiter and three moons (from left right): Io, Europa, and Ganymede.
Jupiter and moons
This is a capture of Jupiter taken at dawn with multiple filters.
Jupiter at dawn
Some detail is visible in the bands.
Jupiter's Bands
Sharp detail is visible in the bands.
Jupiter's Bands in Detail
Jupiter presenting its centuries old storm.
Jupiter's Great Red Spot
Learn how to use ImageContainer, ProcessContainer, and FFTRegistration to stack planetary images produced by Stellina. With a guest appearance from Pierre, my parrot.
Processing Planets with PixInsight using Bulk Operations
Tag: K2 
C/2017 K2 (PanSTARR) is a comet discovered around five years ago. It is notable for the amount of activity it exhibited despite being so far from the sun. It is at its brightest from Earth this week at a distance of 'just' 270 million kilometers. When it reaches its closest distance to the sun (perihelion) it will be closer to Mars and less visible. This image shows the superimposed core arcing across the sky for about 30 minutes.
C/2017 K2 PanSTARR Timelapse
Tag: Kabalinan (ι aur 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Tag: Knife edge galaxy 
This is a spiral galaxy viewed edge-on from 50 million light years away.
NGC5907: The Knife Edge Galaxy
Tag: Ksora (δ cas 
A single exposure of Cassiopeia.
Cassiopeia at 50mm
Tag: Lagoon nebula 
This large, bright and beautiful nebula stays low on the horizon in the Pacific Northwest, making it a challenging target to observe.
M8: The Lagoon Nebula
A widefield shot of a region filled with beautiful nebulae, galaxies and star clusters.
The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae
Tag: Lobster nebula 
A nebula with many names, the swan, lobster or horseshoe nebula is a bright object that is easy to capture.
M17: The Omega Nebula
Tag: Lower sword 
Orion's sword contains multiple nebulae as evidenced in this wide field mirrorless camera shot.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula and NGC1977: The Running Man Nebula
This close-up of the sword in the Orion constellation actually captures x nebula and clusters, including the Great Orion Nebula, De Marain's Nebula, the Running Man Nebula, and the Lost Jewel of Orion.
Orion's Sword
The purple running man hangs suspended above the red-cloaked Great Orion Nebulae. M42, M43, and NGC1977 together in the same frame!
The Beauty of Orion's Sword
Tag: Lunar 
I walk you through step-by-step several approaches to imaging the moon. Most of them are free!
To the Moon! Processing lunar images
I wanted to share the full end-to-end experience of creating a moon photograph. I used my SVBony SV503 70ED refractor with a 2x Barlow lens and my Sony Mirrorless 6300 to take a daytime moon photograph. See how I assembled the equipment, acquired the footage, and processed the result.
Video: Photographing the Moon
Tag: M1 
A look back at the first year of my astrophotography with my favorite photos from 2021.
2021 in Retrospective and Favorite Photos
This is a detailed rendering of the crab nebula using a combination of broadband and SHO filters.
Detailed Crab Nebula
It started as a supernova recorded by Chinese astronomers in 1054 AD. M1, the Crab Nebula, is the expanding remnant of that millenia old explosion.
M1: The Crab Nebula
My first ever astrograph taken with the Celestron EdgeHD 9.25 SCT.
M1: The Crab Nebula Test Shot
Tag: M10 
This cluster spans just over 80 light years in diameter at a distance of 14,300 light years.
M10
Tag: M100 
A grand design spiral nebula with a few neighbors.
M100
Tag: M101 
A beautiful spiral galaxy that is quite photogenic.
M101: The Pinwheel Galaxy
This shot of the popular M101 Pinwheel Galaxy was taken at 336mm to produce a wide field that reveals myriad neighboring galaxies.
M101: The Pinwheel Galaxy's Neighborhood
A year of images to contribute to a detailed photo of the Pinwheel.
The Detailed M101: Pinwheel Galaxy
Tag: M103 
Cassiopeia hosts the open cluster M103 that contains a few hundred colorful stars. It is an easy cluster to find, located very near the 'W' shape of the constellation.
M103: Open Cluster in Cassipeia
Tag: M104 
Messier 104 is referred to as 'The Sombrero Galaxy.' Can you guess why? This galaxy presents itself edge-on with a bright core and dark dust obscuring the central disk. 45 60-second exposures.
M104: Sombrero Galaxy
The Sombrero Galaxy features a bright core illuminated by over 2,000 globular clusters and presents a dark dust lane in the edgewise view of the spiral.
M104: The Sombrero Galaxy
A detailed look at the flying saucer with a Celestron EdgeHD 9.25.
M104: The Sombrero Galxy with the Edge
Tag: M11 
An open cluster of stars discovered in 1681.
M11: The Wild Duck Cluster
Tag: M110 
The Andromeda Galaxy for 24 minutes in one-shot color.
Andromeda's Splendour
A detailed capture taken by composing multiple exposures and filters.
Composite Andromeda Galaxy
Over 2,000 10-second exposures went into stacking 6 panels that were blended to produce this capture of Andromeda with neighboring galaxies M32 and M110.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy Mosaic
A first look at the Andromeda Galaxy as it reappears in the fall of 2022. Captured unguided on the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM).
M31: Andromeda Galaxy in 2022
First attempt at capturing this galaxy with nothing but an ordinary camera and zoom lens.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy with Camera
A detailed image taken over just a few minutes with a remotely controlled telescope in Spain.
M31: via iTelescope in Spain
An interim stack of multiple sessions for a 2022 project to achieve as detailed an M31 as possible.
The Andromeda Galaxy in 2022
Tag: M12 
A cluster that is distinct for its abundance of apparently low-mass stars.
M12
Tag: M13 
A look back at the first year of my astrophotography with my favorite photos from 2021.
2021 in Retrospective and Favorite Photos
This cluster, just barely visible to the naked eye, contains several hundred thousand stars in its diameter of 145 light years.
M13: The Hercules Globular Cluster
Learn how to set up Telescopius to plan mosaics.
Planning Mosaics with Telescopius and Processing with AstroPixel Processor
Tag: M15 
An estimated age of over 12 billion years makes M15 the oldest known globular cluster. This massive grouping of stars is collapsing under its own gravitation pull, drawing the stars in towards a possible black hole in its core.
M15: Ancient Globular Cluster
Multi-session capture of one of the oldest known globular clusters. Happy 12 billionth birthday, M15!
M15: The Grandfather of Clusters
Tag: M16 
This glimpse of star-filled skies features a dense part of the Milky Way.
A Glimpse of the Milky Way
Located along the 'spine' of the Milky Way near several other popular nebulae, M16 has many names from the Star Queen to the Eagle Nebula. A vast emission nebula, at its heart lies the fabled Pillars of Creation. Just over 3 hours exposure went into this image.
M16 Eagle Nebula
The Eagle Nebula spreads its wings along the spine of the Milky Way. It embraces massive pillars of star-forming dust known as the Pillars of Creation.
M16: Portrait of the Eagle Nebula
M16 is called the Eagle Nebula due to its overall shape, but it's the smoky columns that span lightyears in height that make it famous. The columns are called the Pillars of Creation.
M16: The Eagle Nebula
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Venus is partially covered by clouds. To the left rises the core of the Milky Way.
The Milky Way over Venus
I only spent 30 minutes imaging the heart of the Eagle Nebula (M16) commonly known as the Pillars of Creation. This shot is a combination of RGB and Hydrogen alpha.
The Pillars of Creation
Tag: M17 
A nebula with many names, the swan, lobster or horseshoe nebula is a bright object that is easy to capture.
M17: The Omega Nebula
Tag: M2 
M2
Tag: M20 
This is a specially framed capture to grab two Messier objects, one of which is a cluster, reflection nebula, emission nebula, and dark nebula all at the same time.
M20 and M21: Trifid Nebula and Webb's Cross
Trifid means 'three lobe' and refers to the illusion created by a wispy dark nebula spidering across the face of a more distant emission nebula.
M20: Trifid Nebula
A widefield shot of a region filled with beautiful nebulae, galaxies and star clusters.
The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae
Tag: M21 
This is a specially framed capture to grab two Messier objects, one of which is a cluster, reflection nebula, emission nebula, and dark nebula all at the same time.
M20 and M21: Trifid Nebula and Webb's Cross
A widefield shot of a region filled with beautiful nebulae, galaxies and star clusters.
The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae
Tag: M24 
This glimpse of star-filled skies features a dense part of the Milky Way.
A Glimpse of the Milky Way
M24 is a Messier object that isn't a deep space target, but instead describes a region of the sky so dense with stars it forms a cloud named the Small Sagittarius Cloud.
M24: The Small Sagittarius Cloud
Venus is partially covered by clouds. To the left rises the core of the Milky Way.
The Milky Way over Venus
Tag: M27 
A look back at the first year of my astrophotography with my favorite photos from 2021.
2021 in Retrospective and Favorite Photos
This bright nebula visible in binoculars is a planetary nebula surrounding a white dwarf star.
M27: Dumbbell Nebula
This bright close-up of the Dumbbell Nebula combines traditional RGB with highlights in H-alpha (Ha) provided by a narrowband Optolong L-Extreme filter. 30 minutes with a UV/IR cut filter and 28 minutes with the L-Extreme.
M27: Dumbbell Nebula with Optolong L-Extreme
A quick imaging session to capture the beauty and detail of planetary nebula M27.
M27: The Dumbbell Nebula in 10 minutes
Tag: M29 
A bright open cluster of stars in the Cygnus constellation.
M29 Open Cluster
Tag: M3 
A night of exposures with Stellina.
M3: Full night capture in 2022
M3 is one of the largest and brightest clusters visible from Earth.
M3: Globular Cluster
Tag: M31 
A look back at the first year of my astrophotography with my favorite photos from 2021.
2021 in Retrospective and Favorite Photos
The Andromeda Galaxy for 24 minutes in one-shot color.
Andromeda's Splendour
A detailed capture taken by composing multiple exposures and filters.
Composite Andromeda Galaxy
Anticipating Andromeda. This is the time of year that M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, begins to appear for longer periods of time. I've done some fun shoots in the past, but this year I feel like it's time to go for a magnum opus photo (for me, personally) and I decided to practice some shots. Those are just practice shots, so I won't be posting them, but I did have my Sony Alpha 6300 ride shotgun on the imaging runs. It snapped this photo of the bright stars that define the Andromeda Constellation chasing the galaxy off the edge of the frame. This is 10 2-minute exposures.
M31 with the camera
The Andromeda Galaxy occupies a large field of view. It is both near to the Milky Way and bright enough to see with the naked eye.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy
Over 2,000 10-second exposures went into stacking 6 panels that were blended to produce this capture of Andromeda with neighboring galaxies M32 and M110.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy Mosaic
A first look at the Andromeda Galaxy as it reappears in the fall of 2022. Captured unguided on the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM).
M31: Andromeda Galaxy in 2022
First attempt at capturing this galaxy with nothing but an ordinary camera and zoom lens.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy with Camera
A detailed image taken over just a few minutes with a remotely controlled telescope in Spain.
M31: via iTelescope in Spain
An interim stack of multiple sessions for a 2022 project to achieve as detailed an M31 as possible.
The Andromeda Galaxy in 2022
Wide angle shot using the Star Adventurer Mini (SAM).
The Milky Way meets Andromeda Galaxy
Tag: M32 
The Andromeda Galaxy for 24 minutes in one-shot color.
Andromeda's Splendour
A detailed capture taken by composing multiple exposures and filters.
Composite Andromeda Galaxy
Over 2,000 10-second exposures went into stacking 6 panels that were blended to produce this capture of Andromeda with neighboring galaxies M32 and M110.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy Mosaic
A first look at the Andromeda Galaxy as it reappears in the fall of 2022. Captured unguided on the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM).
M31: Andromeda Galaxy in 2022
First attempt at capturing this galaxy with nothing but an ordinary camera and zoom lens.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy with Camera
A detailed image taken over just a few minutes with a remotely controlled telescope in Spain.
M31: via iTelescope in Spain
Just off the edge of the Andromeda Galaxy is one of two satellites orbiting the Milky Way's neighbor: M32, a dense cloud of stars that are classified as a dwarf, early-stage compact elliptical galaxy.
M32: Dwarf Compact Eliptical Galaxy
An interim stack of multiple sessions for a 2022 project to achieve as detailed an M31 as possible.
The Andromeda Galaxy in 2022
Tag: M33 
A look back at the first year of my astrophotography with my favorite photos from 2021.
2021 in Retrospective and Favorite Photos
The journey to capture M33 that lasted almost a year.
Finding redemption in M33: The Triangulum Galaxy
Another night of imaging to add to an ongoing project to image M33.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy
M33, the Triangulum Galaxy, is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Pinwheel Galaxy (that title is held by M101). It is one of the few galaxies visible to the naked eye.
M33: The Triangulum Galaxy
Tag: M36 
Like a cousin to the Seven Sisters, M36 is an open cluster of young, blue stars that is far more distant than the Pleiades. Called the Pinwheel Cluster, it is a region of contrast with neighboring red stars.
M36: The Pinwheel Cluster
Tag: M37 
The 37th item in the Messier catalog is the open cluster NGC2099. It is visible in binoculars and shines at an apparent magnitude of 6.2. It resides in the constellation Auriga.
M37
Tag: M38 
M38 is an open cluster called the Starfish Cluster.
M38: The Starfish Cluster
Tag: M39 
This part of the sky is bursting with clusters and nebulae as the Milky Way dominates the background behind part of the Cygnus constellation.
A Starfield in the Cygnus Contellation
An open cluster in the Cygnus constellation with an apparent size larger than the moon, making it visible with binoculars.
M39 Open Cluster
Tag: M42 
How to take deep sky pictures of galaxies and nebulae using nothing but a camera and a tripod.
Astrophotography without a telescope
I recently purchased a SkyWatcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM) to take longer exposures with my camera. I'll talk about what that all means and show you examples of what can be produced.
Camera Astrophotography with Tracking: Star Adventurer Mini (SAM)
This detailed photograph of the Orion constellation is rich nebulae. The Flame Nebula is on the left of the 'belt' and the Orion Nebula pops at the bottom of the 'sword'.
Detailed Orion with Flame Nebula and Orion Nebula
A detailed stack of eight different sessions to produce a detailed portrait of one of the largest, brightest, and most intricately detailed nebulae.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula
This image was rendered from nearly 600 10-second exposures collected over a year.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula Multi-Session
Orion's sword contains multiple nebulae as evidenced in this wide field mirrorless camera shot.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula and NGC1977: The Running Man Nebula
A stack of over 800 exposures to grab as much detail as possible.
M42: The Orion Nebula in rich detail
A full end-to-end processing workflow for my camera-only (no telescope) photos focused on PixInsight. Contains some advanced tips for rounding stars, stretching contrast, and making masks.
My Camera Processing Workflow with PixInsight
The Orion constellation is easily recognizable by the bright red Betelgeuse 'shoulder', three stars to form the 'belt' and a sword tipped with a nebula visible to the naked eye.
Orion
This close-up of the sword in the Orion constellation actually captures x nebula and clusters, including the Great Orion Nebula, De Marain's Nebula, the Running Man Nebula, and the Lost Jewel of Orion.
Orion's Sword
The Running Man Nebula (NGC1977), De Mairan's Nebula (M42) and the Great Orion Nebula (M43) are beautiful on their own. That beauty stands out in contrast when you witness the wider field of view that contains all three Nebulae on the glowing tip of Orion's sword. This is a mosaic of all three with 400mm exposures from Stellina.
Orion's Sword at 400mm
The purple running man hangs suspended above the red-cloaked Great Orion Nebulae. M42, M43, and NGC1977 together in the same frame!
The Beauty of Orion's Sword
The Orion constellation.
The Orion Constellation (sans Betelgeuse)
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
An integration of several hours of data.
Two Hours of M42
Tag: M43 
This detailed photograph of the Orion constellation is rich nebulae. The Flame Nebula is on the left of the 'belt' and the Orion Nebula pops at the bottom of the 'sword'.
Detailed Orion with Flame Nebula and Orion Nebula
A detailed stack of eight different sessions to produce a detailed portrait of one of the largest, brightest, and most intricately detailed nebulae.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula
This image was rendered from nearly 600 10-second exposures collected over a year.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula Multi-Session
Orion's sword contains multiple nebulae as evidenced in this wide field mirrorless camera shot.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula and NGC1977: The Running Man Nebula
A stack of over 800 exposures to grab as much detail as possible.
M42: The Orion Nebula in rich detail
The Orion constellation is easily recognizable by the bright red Betelgeuse 'shoulder', three stars to form the 'belt' and a sword tipped with a nebula visible to the naked eye.
Orion
This close-up of the sword in the Orion constellation actually captures x nebula and clusters, including the Great Orion Nebula, De Marain's Nebula, the Running Man Nebula, and the Lost Jewel of Orion.
Orion's Sword
The Running Man Nebula (NGC1977), De Mairan's Nebula (M42) and the Great Orion Nebula (M43) are beautiful on their own. That beauty stands out in contrast when you witness the wider field of view that contains all three Nebulae on the glowing tip of Orion's sword. This is a mosaic of all three with 400mm exposures from Stellina.
Orion's Sword at 400mm
The purple running man hangs suspended above the red-cloaked Great Orion Nebulae. M42, M43, and NGC1977 together in the same frame!
The Beauty of Orion's Sword
The Orion constellation.
The Orion Constellation (sans Betelgeuse)
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
An integration of several hours of data.
Two Hours of M42
Tag: M44 
The 44th item in the Messier catalog is a bright, open cluster visible to the naked eye and one of the closest to the earth.
M44: The Beehive Cluster
Tag: M45 
I recently purchased a SkyWatcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM) to take longer exposures with my camera. I'll talk about what that all means and show you examples of what can be produced.
Camera Astrophotography with Tracking: Star Adventurer Mini (SAM)
The Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, are visible to the naked eye, resolve in binoculars and can be captured by regular cameras. This is the first time I've collected enough exposure to capture the delicate nebulosity that surrounds these beautiful blue stars.
M45: The Luminous Pleiades
The Pleiades is one of the closest star clusters to Earth and filled with bright blue stars.
M45: The Pleiades
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
A long exposure reveals the wispy tendrils of nebulosity that surround the major stars in M45 like a cocoon.
The Pleiades
Tag: M47 
M47 is an open cluster with around 500 stars.
M47
Tag: M5 
'My friend, I don't always photograph stars, but when I do, I prefer globular clusters.' M5 is a top favorite of mine (M13 holds the #1 spot) and I was excited to image it at 1650mm focal length. You can count the stars! (When William Herschel did it in 1791, he counted 200).
M5
M5, the rose cluster, framed with nearby variable binary 5 Ser.
M5 and 5Ser
Tag: M51 
A stellar example of a grand-design galaxy, the whirlpool is tugging on its distant companion, the yellow NGC5195, and the resulting tidal forces may be creating new stars.
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy
5 sessions of exposures over one year!
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy in 2022
One of my favorite targets imaged for the first time with my Celestron telescope and the Optolong L-eXtreme filter.
M51: The Whirlpool Up Close
Tag: M52 
This sprinkling of light and dark stars is an open cluster near Cassiopeia.
M52 Cassiopeia Salt and Pepper Cluster
Tag: M53 
M53 is a globular cluster that is about 58,000 lightyears from our solar system and nearly the same distance (60,000 lightyears) from our galaxy core.
M53
Tag: M57 
A star shed this ring of ionized gas as it collapsed into a white dwarf.
M57: The Ring Nebula
Tag: M63 
The Sunflower Galaxy is nearly 30 million light years away and home to an estimated 400 billion stars.
M63: Sunflower Galaxy at 2 meters
If you look closely at this spiral galaxy, you may be able to count its approximately 400 billion stars.
M63: The Sunflower Galaxy
Tag: M64 
This lonely galaxy is obscurred by a dark band of dust.
M64: The Black Eye Galaxy
Tag: M65 
A rare partnership of galaxies with lots of friends in the background.
The Leo Triplet
Tag: M66 
A rare partnership of galaxies with lots of friends in the background.
The Leo Triplet
Tag: M71 
In the constellation Sagitta lies a controversial group of stars that might be a dense open star cluster, or may be an unusually loose globular cluster. Either way it's home to 20,000, many of which shine a distinctive gold color.
M71
Tag: M8 
This large, bright and beautiful nebula stays low on the horizon in the Pacific Northwest, making it a challenging target to observe.
M8: The Lagoon Nebula
A widefield shot of a region filled with beautiful nebulae, galaxies and star clusters.
The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae
Tag: M81 
These two galaxies are bright enough to be seen with binoculars and close enough to capture together in a single frame.
M81 and M82
M81 imaged over 5 sessions and 1 year.
M81: Bode's Galaxy
I shot this image with two sets. One was with a UV/IR cut filter, the other with a 7 nanometer narrowband for Ha and OII.
M81: Bode's Galaxy with Hydrogen Alpha
Tag: M82 
These two galaxies are bright enough to be seen with binoculars and close enough to capture together in a single frame.
M81 and M82
'Come on here, dear boy, have a cigar...' a Cigar Galaxy, that is. M82 is in close proximity to M81 (Bode's Galaxy) and it's believed that gravitational interactions between the two created what is known as a 'starburst' that can be easily seen in the middle.
M82 in Hydrogen Alpha
M82 is a starburst galaxy that contains one of the brightest pulsars known.
M82: The Cigar Galaxy
Tag: M84 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: M86 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: M87 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: M89 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: M90 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: M92 
A glubular cluster in Hercules.
M92
Tag: M95 
M95 is a barred spiral galaxy with an estimated 40 billion stars.
M95
Tag: M97 
Who who is the Owl Nebula? A bright starburst nebula believed to be about 8,000 years old.
M97: The Owl Nebula
Tag: Maia nebula 
The Pleiades rise with Mars. This is my second year of astrophotography, and I got a bit sentimental when I realized I would be able to see the Pleiades in the morning. When I started this hobby in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, the nights were long and cold while the planets rose high and early. Orion dominated the southern skies, and the Seven Sisters were ever present. My first photographs using a regular camera were of this easy-to-locate cluster with pockets of nebulosity. Seeing them again heralds Autumn, with new nebula, wide field shots of flames and horseheads, rosettes and runners, sisters and monkeyheads. So, I decided to capture a picture and as I was framing the 55mm shot, I realized Mars could just squeeze into it. It was past nautical dawn, so I ditched the idea of a 5-minute exposure. Normally I stack 30-second exposures, but I felt like 2 minutes would be enough to capture the cluster even if I didn't catch the wispy blue nebulosity while keeping Mars from completely oversaturating. Here's the result. This is a single two-minute exposure of 'The Pleiades rise with Mars.'
M45 and Mars
One of my favorite winter targets, the Pleiades are easily visible as a bright cluster of stars that resemble a 'tiny dipper.' You can see their faint bluish/purple glow with the naked eye and the Seven Sisters are photogenic and multiple focal lengths. This is a series of broadband RGB long exposures to bring out the subtle dust and nebulosity that surround this young group of stars.
M45 in 2022
The Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, are visible to the naked eye, resolve in binoculars and can be captured by regular cameras. This is the first time I've collected enough exposure to capture the delicate nebulosity that surrounds these beautiful blue stars.
M45: The Luminous Pleiades
40 2-minute exposures in Bortle 5.
M45: The Merope Nebula
A brilliant blue cluster wreathed in intricate strands of nebula.
Maia Nebula
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
A rare meeting of Mars and the Pleiades.
Mars and the Seven Sisters
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
A long exposure reveals the wispy tendrils of nebulosity that surround the major stars in M45 like a cocoon.
The Pleiades
Tag: Mairan's nebula 
This detailed photograph of the Orion constellation is rich nebulae. The Flame Nebula is on the left of the 'belt' and the Orion Nebula pops at the bottom of the 'sword'.
Detailed Orion with Flame Nebula and Orion Nebula
A detailed stack of eight different sessions to produce a detailed portrait of one of the largest, brightest, and most intricately detailed nebulae.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula
This image was rendered from nearly 600 10-second exposures collected over a year.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula Multi-Session
Orion's sword contains multiple nebulae as evidenced in this wide field mirrorless camera shot.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula and NGC1977: The Running Man Nebula
A stack of over 800 exposures to grab as much detail as possible.
M42: The Orion Nebula in rich detail
The Orion constellation is easily recognizable by the bright red Betelgeuse 'shoulder', three stars to form the 'belt' and a sword tipped with a nebula visible to the naked eye.
Orion
This close-up of the sword in the Orion constellation actually captures x nebula and clusters, including the Great Orion Nebula, De Marain's Nebula, the Running Man Nebula, and the Lost Jewel of Orion.
Orion's Sword
The Running Man Nebula (NGC1977), De Mairan's Nebula (M42) and the Great Orion Nebula (M43) are beautiful on their own. That beauty stands out in contrast when you witness the wider field of view that contains all three Nebulae on the glowing tip of Orion's sword. This is a mosaic of all three with 400mm exposures from Stellina.
Orion's Sword at 400mm
The purple running man hangs suspended above the red-cloaked Great Orion Nebulae. M42, M43, and NGC1977 together in the same frame!
The Beauty of Orion's Sword
The Orion constellation.
The Orion Constellation (sans Betelgeuse)
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
An integration of several hours of data.
Two Hours of M42
Tag: Mare imbrium 
A close up of the Mare Imbrium region at the edge of the shadow.
The Mare Imbrium edge region
A close up of the Mare Imbrium region.
The Mare Imbrium region
A close up of the edge of the moon.
The edge of the moon
Tag: Mars 
A first look (in detail) at the Red Planet.
Detailed Mars
Yes, that is the red planet.
Mars
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
Mars: it's more than just a red dot.
Mars with Celestron EdgeHD
Tag: Merope nebula 
The Pleiades rise with Mars. This is my second year of astrophotography, and I got a bit sentimental when I realized I would be able to see the Pleiades in the morning. When I started this hobby in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, the nights were long and cold while the planets rose high and early. Orion dominated the southern skies, and the Seven Sisters were ever present. My first photographs using a regular camera were of this easy-to-locate cluster with pockets of nebulosity. Seeing them again heralds Autumn, with new nebula, wide field shots of flames and horseheads, rosettes and runners, sisters and monkeyheads. So, I decided to capture a picture and as I was framing the 55mm shot, I realized Mars could just squeeze into it. It was past nautical dawn, so I ditched the idea of a 5-minute exposure. Normally I stack 30-second exposures, but I felt like 2 minutes would be enough to capture the cluster even if I didn't catch the wispy blue nebulosity while keeping Mars from completely oversaturating. Here's the result. This is a single two-minute exposure of 'The Pleiades rise with Mars.'
M45 and Mars
One of my favorite winter targets, the Pleiades are easily visible as a bright cluster of stars that resemble a 'tiny dipper.' You can see their faint bluish/purple glow with the naked eye and the Seven Sisters are photogenic and multiple focal lengths. This is a series of broadband RGB long exposures to bring out the subtle dust and nebulosity that surround this young group of stars.
M45 in 2022
40 2-minute exposures in Bortle 5.
M45: The Merope Nebula
The Pleiades is one of the closest star clusters to Earth and filled with bright blue stars.
M45: The Pleiades
A brilliant blue cluster wreathed in intricate strands of nebula.
Maia Nebula
A rare meeting of Mars and the Pleiades.
Mars and the Seven Sisters
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
A long exposure reveals the wispy tendrils of nebulosity that surround the major stars in M45 like a cocoon.
The Pleiades
Tag: Meteor 
A meteor and a satellite streak by over the Paint Mines in Colorado.
Fire in the Sky
A meteor streaks in front of the Milky Way while Jupiter glows brightly on the edge.
Fireball
Tag: Milky way 
My wife and I recently went to a nearby town with darker skies to stargaze and chase the Milky Way.
Chasing the Milky Way
The Milky Way looms over a field by the Paint Mines in Colorado.
Milky Way at Paint Mines.
The rich colors of nebulae and stars shine against the backdrop of the Milky Way from Index, WA.
Milky Way in Color
I live in Bortle 7 as of this picture and therefore cannot see the Milky Way even in a single exposure. However, using a high end tracking mount I was able to combine 89 2-minute exposures and resolve the Milky Way through stacking.
Milky Way in my Backyard
The Milky Way stretches into space over the top of a ridge seen from Snoqualmie Point Park in Washington.
Milky Way over a ridge in Snoqualmie
Tag: Monkey head nebula 
The Monkey Head Nebula lies in the nebula-dense constellation of Orion. It is believed to be formed of dust, wind, and radiation caused by newborn stars.
NGC2174: The Monkey Head Nebula
Tag: Moon 
A look back at the first year of my astrophotography with my favorite photos from 2021.
2021 in Retrospective and Favorite Photos
A wide, zoomed view of the moon.
A Wide Zoomed Quarter
A cloudy view of the moon.
A cloudy moon
This is a high resolution, detailed image of the half moon.
A detailed image of the half Moon
A full color almost full moon.
A detailed, full color lunar shot.
A detailed zoom shot of the edge of the moon during the day.
A quarter of the half Moon
A full moon obscured by clouds.
A spectral moon in clouds.
The path traced by ISS in the sky.
An International Space Station (ISS) flyover
A crescent moon in February 2022.
Beautiful crescent in February 2022.
Dust from fires turned the moon red.
Blood Moon August 2021
A capture of the moon during daylight in June 2022.
Blue daytime moon
A highly detailed dawn view of the moon.
Bright moon after sunrise
A detailed shot of a crescent moon turned red by smoke from forest fires.
Close to the Red Moon
A close-up of the edge of the moon.
Close up moon quarter
A close-up of the Tycho crater that is prominent in the lower corner of the moon.
Close up of the Tycho crater
A gibbous moon close-up.
Closeup of the Moon
The existing colors in this detailed moon pic had their saturation boosted to bring out the colorful contrast.
Colorful Moon
This image of the moon was stacked from multiple images taken while it was behind clouds. The layering of clouds give it an embossed appearance.
Embossed moon.
A gibbous moon in January 2022.
First gibbous moon of 2022.
The first half moon of 2022.
First half moon of 2022
This image of the moon was stacked from multiple images taken while it was behind clouds. The detail of the moon popped out to make it appear to float above the clouds.
Floating moon.
Four unfiltered images of the moon: a blue taken by day, a yellow due to fog, and a red due to forest fire smoke in addition to the traditional gray.
Four moons.
A full moon captured in color in February 2022.
Full Color Full Moon
A full moon in April.
Full moon April 2021
A gibbous moon in July.
Gibbous Moon July 2021
A gibbous moon in November.
Gibbous Moon November 2021
A close-up of the moon in August.
Gibbous moon August 2022
A capture of the moon just before sunset.
Half Moon at Dusk
A half moon in April.
Half moon April 2021
A half moon in September.
Half moon September 2021
This was our moon on July 4, 2022.
Independence Moon
A timelapse of the International Space Station (ISS) passing between Earth and the Moon.
July 2022 Lunar Transit by the International Space Station (ISS)
A closeup of the lunar edge.
Quarter slice of the Moon
A close-up quarer slice of the edge of the moon.
Quarter slice of the moon
A sharp stack of multiple exposures using the Optolong l-eXtreme filter.
Sharp Moon
The moon with a few fluffy clouds.
The Moon and Fluff
The moon shining brightly through thin cloud cover.
The Moon through the Clouds
A full color view of Copernicus.
The Moon's Copernicus crater.
A full color view of Tycho.
The Moon's Tycho crater.
A supermoon occurs when the moon's orbit brings it closer to Earth, so it appears bigger and brighter. The July supermoon is expected to be the brightest of the year. It's called the Thunder moon because it heralds the season of thunderstorms in the North American summer. This is a mosaic taken from four zoomed shots.
Thunder Moon Supermoon
I walk you through step-by-step several approaches to imaging the moon. Most of them are free!
To the Moon! Processing lunar images
A dawn view of Venus with a crescent moon.
Venus approaches the moon
I wanted to share the full end-to-end experience of creating a moon photograph. I used my SVBony SV503 70ED refractor with a 2x Barlow lens and my Sony Mirrorless 6300 to take a daytime moon photograph. See how I assembled the equipment, acquired the footage, and processed the result.
Video: Photographing the Moon
A detailed, wide angle close up of the moon's surface.
Wide Zoom of Lunar Surface
A half moon in January 2022.
Yellow Moon January 2022
A non-filtered look at the evening moon.
Yellow Moon on Blue
Tag: Neptune 
The light for this image of Neptune raced over 2.7 billion miles to reach Earth.
Neptune
Tag: Ngc 1432 
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
Tag: Ngc 1435 
One of my favorite winter targets, the Pleiades are easily visible as a bright cluster of stars that resemble a 'tiny dipper.' You can see their faint bluish/purple glow with the naked eye and the Seven Sisters are photogenic and multiple focal lengths. This is a series of broadband RGB long exposures to bring out the subtle dust and nebulosity that surround this young group of stars.
M45 in 2022
A supersaturated Mars glows furiously in sight of the pale Pleiades.
Saturated Mars
Tag: Ngc 1973 
Orion's sword contains multiple nebulae as evidenced in this wide field mirrorless camera shot.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula and NGC1977: The Running Man Nebula
Tag: Ngc 281 
A single exposure of Cassiopeia.
Cassiopeia at 50mm
Cassiopeia is a very busy piece of sky. The constellation is easy to find with its distinctive 'W' shape. I just missed one of the main stars but captured the colorful variety of background stars and even some nebulosity in several areas.
The Cassiopeia Starfield
Tag: Ngc 432 
One of my favorite winter targets, the Pleiades are easily visible as a bright cluster of stars that resemble a 'tiny dipper.' You can see their faint bluish/purple glow with the naked eye and the Seven Sisters are photogenic and multiple focal lengths. This is a series of broadband RGB long exposures to bring out the subtle dust and nebulosity that surround this young group of stars.
M45 in 2022
Tag: Ngc 4594 
Messier 104 is referred to as 'The Sombrero Galaxy.' Can you guess why? This galaxy presents itself edge-on with a bright core and dark dust obscuring the central disk. 45 60-second exposures.
M104: Sombrero Galaxy
Tag: Ngc 6888 
This beautiful region is full of stars and some of the most bright and beautiful nebulae including The Cygnus Loop (Veil Nebula), the North America Nebula, the Crescent Nebula and the Tulip Nebula.
The Colorful Field of Cygnus Stars
Tag: Ngc 6960 
This beautiful region is full of stars and some of the most bright and beautiful nebulae including The Cygnus Loop (Veil Nebula), the North America Nebula, the Crescent Nebula and the Tulip Nebula.
The Colorful Field of Cygnus Stars
Tag: Ngc 7293 
NGC7293 is the Helix Nebula, a planetary nebula about 600 - 700 light years from Earth. It's distinctive shape has given it the nicknames 'Eye of God' and 'Eye of Sauron.' From my location it never rises more than 30 degrees above the horizon so it was a tricky one to observe.
NGC7293: The Helix Nebula
Tag: Ngc 7380 
Hours of 2-minute exposures using my Sony Alpha 6300 reveal the Milky Way's wall of stars, galaxies, and nebulae that's practically a 'star map' of who's who in common targets. Visible targets include Messier 52 (a cluster), the Bow-tie Nebula, the Bubble Nebula, and the Wizard Nebula. There are several other planetary and diffuse nebulae and galaxies to boot.
The Northern Stars
Tag: Ngc 7822 
Hours of 2-minute exposures using my Sony Alpha 6300 reveal the Milky Way's wall of stars, galaxies, and nebulae that's practically a 'star map' of who's who in common targets. Visible targets include Messier 52 (a cluster), the Bow-tie Nebula, the Bubble Nebula, and the Wizard Nebula. There are several other planetary and diffuse nebulae and galaxies to boot.
The Northern Stars
Tag: Ngc1027 
A detailed look at the Heart Nebula.
Close to the Heart
The star cluster Melotte 15 contains bright young stars that energize hydrogen, causing it to emit the red light that illuminates this heart-shaped nebula. In the corner is its near companion Fishead Nebula.
IC1805: The Heart Nebula
Tag: Ngc1432 
The Pleiades rise with Mars. This is my second year of astrophotography, and I got a bit sentimental when I realized I would be able to see the Pleiades in the morning. When I started this hobby in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, the nights were long and cold while the planets rose high and early. Orion dominated the southern skies, and the Seven Sisters were ever present. My first photographs using a regular camera were of this easy-to-locate cluster with pockets of nebulosity. Seeing them again heralds Autumn, with new nebula, wide field shots of flames and horseheads, rosettes and runners, sisters and monkeyheads. So, I decided to capture a picture and as I was framing the 55mm shot, I realized Mars could just squeeze into it. It was past nautical dawn, so I ditched the idea of a 5-minute exposure. Normally I stack 30-second exposures, but I felt like 2 minutes would be enough to capture the cluster even if I didn't catch the wispy blue nebulosity while keeping Mars from completely oversaturating. Here's the result. This is a single two-minute exposure of 'The Pleiades rise with Mars.'
M45 and Mars
The Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, are visible to the naked eye, resolve in binoculars and can be captured by regular cameras. This is the first time I've collected enough exposure to capture the delicate nebulosity that surrounds these beautiful blue stars.
M45: The Luminous Pleiades
40 2-minute exposures in Bortle 5.
M45: The Merope Nebula
A brilliant blue cluster wreathed in intricate strands of nebula.
Maia Nebula
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
A rare meeting of Mars and the Pleiades.
Mars and the Seven Sisters
A long exposure reveals the wispy tendrils of nebulosity that surround the major stars in M45 like a cocoon.
The Pleiades
Tag: Ngc1435 
The Pleiades rise with Mars. This is my second year of astrophotography, and I got a bit sentimental when I realized I would be able to see the Pleiades in the morning. When I started this hobby in 2020 in the Pacific Northwest, the nights were long and cold while the planets rose high and early. Orion dominated the southern skies, and the Seven Sisters were ever present. My first photographs using a regular camera were of this easy-to-locate cluster with pockets of nebulosity. Seeing them again heralds Autumn, with new nebula, wide field shots of flames and horseheads, rosettes and runners, sisters and monkeyheads. So, I decided to capture a picture and as I was framing the 55mm shot, I realized Mars could just squeeze into it. It was past nautical dawn, so I ditched the idea of a 5-minute exposure. Normally I stack 30-second exposures, but I felt like 2 minutes would be enough to capture the cluster even if I didn't catch the wispy blue nebulosity while keeping Mars from completely oversaturating. Here's the result. This is a single two-minute exposure of 'The Pleiades rise with Mars.'
M45 and Mars
40 2-minute exposures in Bortle 5.
M45: The Merope Nebula
The Pleiades is one of the closest star clusters to Earth and filled with bright blue stars.
M45: The Pleiades
A brilliant blue cluster wreathed in intricate strands of nebula.
Maia Nebula
A rare meeting of Mars and the Pleiades.
Mars and the Seven Sisters
A long exposure reveals the wispy tendrils of nebulosity that surround the major stars in M45 like a cocoon.
The Pleiades
Tag: Ngc1499 
Capturing the rare proximity of Mars to M45, the Pleiades.
Mars Meets the Pleiades at Dawn
This picture is just a small part of the California-shaped NGC1499, a faint nebula that requires lots of exposure and/or narrowband filters to truly appreciate.
NGC1499: The Calfornia Nebula
Tag: Ngc1912 
M38 is an open cluster called the Starfish Cluster.
M38: The Starfish Cluster
Tag: Ngc1952 
This is a detailed rendering of the crab nebula using a combination of broadband and SHO filters.
Detailed Crab Nebula
It started as a supernova recorded by Chinese astronomers in 1054 AD. M1, the Crab Nebula, is the expanding remnant of that millenia old explosion.
M1: The Crab Nebula
My first ever astrograph taken with the Celestron EdgeHD 9.25 SCT.
M1: The Crab Nebula Test Shot
Tag: Ngc1960 
Like a cousin to the Seven Sisters, M36 is an open cluster of young, blue stars that is far more distant than the Pleiades. Called the Pinwheel Cluster, it is a region of contrast with neighboring red stars.
M36: The Pinwheel Cluster
Tag: Ngc1973 
In the popular sweep of nebulae and stars known as Orion's sword is NGC1977, the Running Man. This is a subtle reflection nebula that scatters blue light across vast lanes of space dust. It resembles the smoky outline of a running man casting a shadow on disco fog as a strobe light flashes.
NGC1977: The Running Man Nebula
This close-up of the sword in the Orion constellation actually captures x nebula and clusters, including the Great Orion Nebula, De Marain's Nebula, the Running Man Nebula, and the Lost Jewel of Orion.
Orion's Sword
The Running Man Nebula (NGC1977), De Mairan's Nebula (M42) and the Great Orion Nebula (M43) are beautiful on their own. That beauty stands out in contrast when you witness the wider field of view that contains all three Nebulae on the glowing tip of Orion's sword. This is a mosaic of all three with 400mm exposures from Stellina.
Orion's Sword at 400mm
The purple running man hangs suspended above the red-cloaked Great Orion Nebulae. M42, M43, and NGC1977 together in the same frame!
The Beauty of Orion's Sword
The Running Man is clearly visible in this dusty nebula with beautiful blue and purple highlights. An often overlooked gem in the Orion constellation.
The Running Man
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
Tag: Ngc1975 
Orion's sword contains multiple nebulae as evidenced in this wide field mirrorless camera shot.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula and NGC1977: The Running Man Nebula
In the popular sweep of nebulae and stars known as Orion's sword is NGC1977, the Running Man. This is a subtle reflection nebula that scatters blue light across vast lanes of space dust. It resembles the smoky outline of a running man casting a shadow on disco fog as a strobe light flashes.
NGC1977: The Running Man Nebula
The Running Man Nebula (NGC1977), De Mairan's Nebula (M42) and the Great Orion Nebula (M43) are beautiful on their own. That beauty stands out in contrast when you witness the wider field of view that contains all three Nebulae on the glowing tip of Orion's sword. This is a mosaic of all three with 400mm exposures from Stellina.
Orion's Sword at 400mm
The purple running man hangs suspended above the red-cloaked Great Orion Nebulae. M42, M43, and NGC1977 together in the same frame!
The Beauty of Orion's Sword
The Running Man is clearly visible in this dusty nebula with beautiful blue and purple highlights. An often overlooked gem in the Orion constellation.
The Running Man
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
Tag: Ngc1976 
This detailed photograph of the Orion constellation is rich nebulae. The Flame Nebula is on the left of the 'belt' and the Orion Nebula pops at the bottom of the 'sword'.
Detailed Orion with Flame Nebula and Orion Nebula
A detailed stack of eight different sessions to produce a detailed portrait of one of the largest, brightest, and most intricately detailed nebulae.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula
This image was rendered from nearly 600 10-second exposures collected over a year.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula Multi-Session
Orion's sword contains multiple nebulae as evidenced in this wide field mirrorless camera shot.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula and NGC1977: The Running Man Nebula
A stack of over 800 exposures to grab as much detail as possible.
M42: The Orion Nebula in rich detail
The Orion constellation is easily recognizable by the bright red Betelgeuse 'shoulder', three stars to form the 'belt' and a sword tipped with a nebula visible to the naked eye.
Orion
This close-up of the sword in the Orion constellation actually captures x nebula and clusters, including the Great Orion Nebula, De Marain's Nebula, the Running Man Nebula, and the Lost Jewel of Orion.
Orion's Sword
The Running Man Nebula (NGC1977), De Mairan's Nebula (M42) and the Great Orion Nebula (M43) are beautiful on their own. That beauty stands out in contrast when you witness the wider field of view that contains all three Nebulae on the glowing tip of Orion's sword. This is a mosaic of all three with 400mm exposures from Stellina.
Orion's Sword at 400mm
The purple running man hangs suspended above the red-cloaked Great Orion Nebulae. M42, M43, and NGC1977 together in the same frame!
The Beauty of Orion's Sword
The Orion constellation.
The Orion Constellation (sans Betelgeuse)
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
An integration of several hours of data.
Two Hours of M42
Tag: Ngc1977 
Orion's sword contains multiple nebulae as evidenced in this wide field mirrorless camera shot.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula and NGC1977: The Running Man Nebula
A full end-to-end processing workflow for my camera-only (no telescope) photos focused on PixInsight. Contains some advanced tips for rounding stars, stretching contrast, and making masks.
My Camera Processing Workflow with PixInsight
In the popular sweep of nebulae and stars known as Orion's sword is NGC1977, the Running Man. This is a subtle reflection nebula that scatters blue light across vast lanes of space dust. It resembles the smoky outline of a running man casting a shadow on disco fog as a strobe light flashes.
NGC1977: The Running Man Nebula
This close-up of the sword in the Orion constellation actually captures x nebula and clusters, including the Great Orion Nebula, De Marain's Nebula, the Running Man Nebula, and the Lost Jewel of Orion.
Orion's Sword
The Running Man Nebula (NGC1977), De Mairan's Nebula (M42) and the Great Orion Nebula (M43) are beautiful on their own. That beauty stands out in contrast when you witness the wider field of view that contains all three Nebulae on the glowing tip of Orion's sword. This is a mosaic of all three with 400mm exposures from Stellina.
Orion's Sword at 400mm
The purple running man hangs suspended above the red-cloaked Great Orion Nebulae. M42, M43, and NGC1977 together in the same frame!
The Beauty of Orion's Sword
The Running Man is clearly visible in this dusty nebula with beautiful blue and purple highlights. An often overlooked gem in the Orion constellation.
The Running Man
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
Using the same set of data, I compare the performance of five programs for stacking a deep sky object (DSO). Included: ASIDeepStack, Astrometric Stacking Program (ASTAP), AstroPixel Processor (APP), Deep Sky Stacker (DSS) and PixInsight.
Video: What program is best for astrophotography stacking?
Tag: Ngc1980 
Orion's sword contains multiple nebulae as evidenced in this wide field mirrorless camera shot.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula and NGC1977: The Running Man Nebula
This close-up of the sword in the Orion constellation actually captures x nebula and clusters, including the Great Orion Nebula, De Marain's Nebula, the Running Man Nebula, and the Lost Jewel of Orion.
Orion's Sword
The purple running man hangs suspended above the red-cloaked Great Orion Nebulae. M42, M43, and NGC1977 together in the same frame!
The Beauty of Orion's Sword
Tag: Ngc1981 
Orion's sword contains multiple nebulae as evidenced in this wide field mirrorless camera shot.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula and NGC1977: The Running Man Nebula
The purple running man hangs suspended above the red-cloaked Great Orion Nebulae. M42, M43, and NGC1977 together in the same frame!
The Beauty of Orion's Sword
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
Tag: Ngc1982 
This detailed photograph of the Orion constellation is rich nebulae. The Flame Nebula is on the left of the 'belt' and the Orion Nebula pops at the bottom of the 'sword'.
Detailed Orion with Flame Nebula and Orion Nebula
A detailed stack of eight different sessions to produce a detailed portrait of one of the largest, brightest, and most intricately detailed nebulae.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula
This image was rendered from nearly 600 10-second exposures collected over a year.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula Multi-Session
Orion's sword contains multiple nebulae as evidenced in this wide field mirrorless camera shot.
M42: The Great Orion Nebula and NGC1977: The Running Man Nebula
A stack of over 800 exposures to grab as much detail as possible.
M42: The Orion Nebula in rich detail
The Orion constellation is easily recognizable by the bright red Betelgeuse 'shoulder', three stars to form the 'belt' and a sword tipped with a nebula visible to the naked eye.
Orion
This close-up of the sword in the Orion constellation actually captures x nebula and clusters, including the Great Orion Nebula, De Marain's Nebula, the Running Man Nebula, and the Lost Jewel of Orion.
Orion's Sword
The Running Man Nebula (NGC1977), De Mairan's Nebula (M42) and the Great Orion Nebula (M43) are beautiful on their own. That beauty stands out in contrast when you witness the wider field of view that contains all three Nebulae on the glowing tip of Orion's sword. This is a mosaic of all three with 400mm exposures from Stellina.
Orion's Sword at 400mm
The purple running man hangs suspended above the red-cloaked Great Orion Nebulae. M42, M43, and NGC1977 together in the same frame!
The Beauty of Orion's Sword
The Orion constellation.
The Orion Constellation (sans Betelgeuse)
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
An integration of several hours of data.
Two Hours of M42
Tag: Ngc2023 
IC434 illuminates the nearby Horsehead Nebula that rears its head in silhouette. Dominating left is the triple star system Alnitak with its main superhot blue giant centerpiece that adorns the undulating waves of NGC2024, the Flame Nebula.
IC434 NGC2024: The Horse and the Flame
Although we tend to refer to IC434 as the Horsehead Nebula, it's actually an emission nebula hidden behind the Horsehead nebula. The latter is made up of dark dust that is illuminated by the former. This framing honors the beauty and grace of the horse's silhouette, but I'm working on a mosaic that captures the broader area to include the Flame Nebula (NGC2024).
IC434: The Nebula Behind the Horsehead
A capture of Orion's belt.
Orion's Belt
Took ~350 4-second 210mm of Orion's belt: Alnitak (with NGC2024 the Flame Nebula and IC434 the Horesehead Nebula), Alnilam and Mintaka. First pic of 2022!
Orion's Belt New Year 2022
A combination of new images for the Flame and Horsehead nebulae.
Orion's Belt: Another Take
Beautiful and brilliant colors abound in the swirls of intergalactic dust lit by stellar jewels in the region of constellation Orion's belt.
Orion's jeweled belt at 336mm
The Easternmost jewel on Orion's belt is brilliant Alnitak, a bright star that bombards NGC 2024 The Flame Nebula with ultraviolet light, causing the gases to glow and form a brilliant orange flame. Nearby, a cloud of dust is illuminated from behind by emission nebula IC434 to create a strikingly horsehead-like silhouette.
The Horse and the Flame
An Optolong L-Extreme filter helped bring out the rich red that gives this deep sky object the lesser known name of Flame Nebula.
The Red and the Horsehead.
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
Tag: Ngc2024 
A look back at the first year of my astrophotography with my favorite photos from 2021.
2021 in Retrospective and Favorite Photos
This detailed photograph of the Orion constellation is rich nebulae. The Flame Nebula is on the left of the 'belt' and the Orion Nebula pops at the bottom of the 'sword'.
Detailed Orion with Flame Nebula and Orion Nebula
IC434 illuminates the nearby Horsehead Nebula that rears its head in silhouette. Dominating left is the triple star system Alnitak with its main superhot blue giant centerpiece that adorns the undulating waves of NGC2024, the Flame Nebula.
IC434 NGC2024: The Horse and the Flame
A full end-to-end processing workflow for my camera-only (no telescope) photos focused on PixInsight. Contains some advanced tips for rounding stars, stretching contrast, and making masks.
My Camera Processing Workflow with PixInsight
The star ζ Orionis (Alnitak) is the leftmost star on the constellation Orion's belt. It is a triple star system hosted by a blue supergiant. Next to it bursts the Flame Nebula, an emission nebular supercharged by ultraviolet rays emanating from Alnitak. Often grouped with the more iconic Horsehead Nebula (IC434), the Flame stands well on its own.
NGC2024: The Flame Nebula
The Orion constellation is easily recognizable by the bright red Betelgeuse 'shoulder', three stars to form the 'belt' and a sword tipped with a nebula visible to the naked eye.
Orion
A capture of Orion's belt.
Orion's Belt
Took ~350 4-second 210mm of Orion's belt: Alnitak (with NGC2024 the Flame Nebula and IC434 the Horesehead Nebula), Alnilam and Mintaka. First pic of 2022!
Orion's Belt New Year 2022
A combination of new images for the Flame and Horsehead nebulae.
Orion's Belt: Another Take
Beautiful and brilliant colors abound in the swirls of intergalactic dust lit by stellar jewels in the region of constellation Orion's belt.
Orion's jeweled belt at 336mm
The Easternmost jewel on Orion's belt is brilliant Alnitak, a bright star that bombards NGC 2024 The Flame Nebula with ultraviolet light, causing the gases to glow and form a brilliant orange flame. Nearby, a cloud of dust is illuminated from behind by emission nebula IC434 to create a strikingly horsehead-like silhouette.
The Horse and the Flame
The Orion constellation.
The Orion Constellation (sans Betelgeuse)
First long exposure using my CGEM-II mount.
The many nebulae of Orion.
Tag: Ngc205 
The Andromeda Galaxy for 24 minutes in one-shot color.
Andromeda's Splendour
A detailed capture taken by composing multiple exposures and filters.
Composite Andromeda Galaxy
Over 2,000 10-second exposures went into stacking 6 panels that were blended to produce this capture of Andromeda with neighboring galaxies M32 and M110.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy Mosaic
A first look at the Andromeda Galaxy as it reappears in the fall of 2022. Captured unguided on the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM).
M31: Andromeda Galaxy in 2022
First attempt at capturing this galaxy with nothing but an ordinary camera and zoom lens.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy with Camera
A detailed image taken over just a few minutes with a remotely controlled telescope in Spain.
M31: via iTelescope in Spain
An interim stack of multiple sessions for a 2022 project to achieve as detailed an M31 as possible.
The Andromeda Galaxy in 2022
Tag: Ngc2099 
The 37th item in the Messier catalog is the open cluster NGC2099. It is visible in binoculars and shines at an apparent magnitude of 6.2. It resides in the constellation Auriga.
M37
Tag: Ngc2112 
This detailed photograph of the Orion constellation is rich nebulae. The Flame Nebula is on the left of the 'belt' and the Orion Nebula pops at the bottom of the 'sword'.
Detailed Orion with Flame Nebula and Orion Nebula
The Orion constellation is easily recognizable by the bright red Betelgeuse 'shoulder', three stars to form the 'belt' and a sword tipped with a nebula visible to the naked eye.
Orion
The Orion constellation.
The Orion Constellation (sans Betelgeuse)
Tag: Ngc2174 
The Monkey Head Nebula lies in the nebula-dense constellation of Orion. It is believed to be formed of dust, wind, and radiation caused by newborn stars.
NGC2174: The Monkey Head Nebula
A full end-to-end processing workflow from acquiring images to final polish using AstroPixel Processor, PixInsight, and Topaz Labs.
Processing NGC2174: The Monkey Head Nebula
Tag: Ngc2175 
The Monkey Head Nebula lies in the nebula-dense constellation of Orion. It is believed to be formed of dust, wind, and radiation caused by newborn stars.
NGC2174: The Monkey Head Nebula
Tag: Ngc221 
The Andromeda Galaxy for 24 minutes in one-shot color.
Andromeda's Splendour
A detailed capture taken by composing multiple exposures and filters.
Composite Andromeda Galaxy
Over 2,000 10-second exposures went into stacking 6 panels that were blended to produce this capture of Andromeda with neighboring galaxies M32 and M110.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy Mosaic
A first look at the Andromeda Galaxy as it reappears in the fall of 2022. Captured unguided on the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM).
M31: Andromeda Galaxy in 2022
First attempt at capturing this galaxy with nothing but an ordinary camera and zoom lens.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy with Camera
A detailed image taken over just a few minutes with a remotely controlled telescope in Spain.
M31: via iTelescope in Spain
Just off the edge of the Andromeda Galaxy is one of two satellites orbiting the Milky Way's neighbor: M32, a dense cloud of stars that are classified as a dwarf, early-stage compact elliptical galaxy.
M32: Dwarf Compact Eliptical Galaxy
An interim stack of multiple sessions for a 2022 project to achieve as detailed an M31 as possible.
The Andromeda Galaxy in 2022
Tag: Ngc2237 
The Rosette Nebula is a delicate ring of fire that engulfs a cluster of stars forming from its substance.
NGC2237: Rosette Nebula
A wider field shot of the Rosette Nebula composite of two nights at two and three-minute exposures.
The Rosette Nebula
Tag: Ngc2238 
The Rosette Nebula is a delicate ring of fire that engulfs a cluster of stars forming from its substance.
NGC2237: Rosette Nebula
A wider field shot of the Rosette Nebula composite of two nights at two and three-minute exposures.
The Rosette Nebula
Tag: Ngc2239 
The Rosette Nebula is a delicate ring of fire that engulfs a cluster of stars forming from its substance.
NGC2237: Rosette Nebula
A wider field shot of the Rosette Nebula composite of two nights at two and three-minute exposures.
The Rosette Nebula
Tag: Ngc224 
The Andromeda Galaxy for 24 minutes in one-shot color.
Andromeda's Splendour
A detailed capture taken by composing multiple exposures and filters.
Composite Andromeda Galaxy
Anticipating Andromeda. This is the time of year that M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, begins to appear for longer periods of time. I've done some fun shoots in the past, but this year I feel like it's time to go for a magnum opus photo (for me, personally) and I decided to practice some shots. Those are just practice shots, so I won't be posting them, but I did have my Sony Alpha 6300 ride shotgun on the imaging runs. It snapped this photo of the bright stars that define the Andromeda Constellation chasing the galaxy off the edge of the frame. This is 10 2-minute exposures.
M31 with the camera
The Andromeda Galaxy occupies a large field of view. It is both near to the Milky Way and bright enough to see with the naked eye.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy
Over 2,000 10-second exposures went into stacking 6 panels that were blended to produce this capture of Andromeda with neighboring galaxies M32 and M110.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy Mosaic
A first look at the Andromeda Galaxy as it reappears in the fall of 2022. Captured unguided on the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM).
M31: Andromeda Galaxy in 2022
First attempt at capturing this galaxy with nothing but an ordinary camera and zoom lens.
M31: Andromeda Galaxy with Camera
A detailed image taken over just a few minutes with a remotely controlled telescope in Spain.
M31: via iTelescope in Spain
An interim stack of multiple sessions for a 2022 project to achieve as detailed an M31 as possible.
The Andromeda Galaxy in 2022
Wide angle shot using the Star Adventurer Mini (SAM).
The Milky Way meets Andromeda Galaxy
Tag: Ngc2246 
The Rosette Nebula is a delicate ring of fire that engulfs a cluster of stars forming from its substance.
NGC2237: Rosette Nebula
A wider field shot of the Rosette Nebula composite of two nights at two and three-minute exposures.
The Rosette Nebula
Tag: Ngc2252 
A wider field shot of the Rosette Nebula composite of two nights at two and three-minute exposures.
The Rosette Nebula
Tag: Ngc2264 
This dense patch of stars and nebulae hosts a variety of targets. Starting at the bottom is the Cone Nebula. The top of the cone touches the inserted peak of the Christmas Tree Cluster. Past the faintly visible Snowflake Nebula is the bluish Fox Fur Nebula.
NGC2264: The Christmas Tree Cluster and Friends
Tag: Ngc2422 
M47 is an open cluster with around 500 stars.
M47
Tag: Ngc2632 
The 44th item in the Messier catalog is a bright, open cluster visible to the naked eye and one of the closest to the earth.
M44: The Beehive Cluster
Tag: Ngc281 
This glowing W-shaped constellation is a centerpiece amongst several nebulae and galaxies.s
Cassiopeia
This nebula is named the Pacman nebula and you'll never guess why.
NGC281: The Pacman Nebula
NGC281 is the designation for a cluster of high mass stars that are 'only' 6,500 light-years away. They are also elevated from the galactic plane, making for easier observation. A thick band of dark cosmic dusk creates the illusion of a gaping mouth on what is called the Pacman Nebula.
Pacman
Tag: Ngc3031 
These two galaxies are bright enough to be seen with binoculars and close enough to capture together in a single frame.
M81 and M82
M81 imaged over 5 sessions and 1 year.
M81: Bode's Galaxy
I shot this image with two sets. One was with a UV/IR cut filter, the other with a 7 nanometer narrowband for Ha and OII.
M81: Bode's Galaxy with Hydrogen Alpha
Tag: Ngc3034 
These two galaxies are bright enough to be seen with binoculars and close enough to capture together in a single frame.
M81 and M82
'Come on here, dear boy, have a cigar...' a Cigar Galaxy, that is. M82 is in close proximity to M81 (Bode's Galaxy) and it's believed that gravitational interactions between the two created what is known as a 'starburst' that can be easily seen in the middle.
M82 in Hydrogen Alpha
M82 is a starburst galaxy that contains one of the brightest pulsars known.
M82: The Cigar Galaxy
Tag: Ngc3351 
M95 is a barred spiral galaxy with an estimated 40 billion stars.
M95
Tag: Ngc3587 
Who who is the Owl Nebula? A bright starburst nebula believed to be about 8,000 years old.
M97: The Owl Nebula
Tag: Ngc3593 
A rare partnership of galaxies with lots of friends in the background.
The Leo Triplet
Tag: Ngc3623 
A rare partnership of galaxies with lots of friends in the background.
The Leo Triplet
Tag: Ngc3627 
A rare partnership of galaxies with lots of friends in the background.
The Leo Triplet
Tag: Ngc3628 
A rare partnership of galaxies with lots of friends in the background.
The Leo Triplet
Tag: Ngc4284 
Charles Messier was looking for a nebula but found this double star instead. It is one of the few items in the catalog that isn't a galaxy, cluster, or nebula. He may have been searching for the two galaxies visible at the edge of this frame.
M40
Tag: Ngc4290 
Charles Messier was looking for a nebula but found this double star instead. It is one of the few items in the catalog that isn't a galaxy, cluster, or nebula. He may have been searching for the two galaxies visible at the edge of this frame.
M40
Tag: Ngc4312 
A grand design spiral nebula with a few neighbors.
M100
Tag: Ngc4321 
A grand design spiral nebula with a few neighbors.
M100
Tag: Ngc4323 
A grand design spiral nebula with a few neighbors.
M100
Tag: Ngc4328 
A grand design spiral nebula with a few neighbors.
M100
Tag: Ngc4374 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4388 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4402 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4406 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4425 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4429 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4435 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4438 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4452 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4461 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4473 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4477 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4486 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4518 
Galaxy season calls for a galaxy party. In this frame, the 'Lost Galaxy of Copeland' or NGC4535 is the beautiful spiral. The 'large star' is HD109270 (invisible to the naked eye), and upper left hosts lenticular galaxy NGC4518. You can see several other galaxies 'hanging around.'
Galaxy Party
Tag: Ngc4531 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4535 
Galaxy season calls for a galaxy party. In this frame, the 'Lost Galaxy of Copeland' or NGC4535 is the beautiful spiral. The 'large star' is HD109270 (invisible to the naked eye), and upper left hosts lenticular galaxy NGC4518. You can see several other galaxies 'hanging around.'
Galaxy Party
Tag: Ngc4550 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4552 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4569 
A great target to kick off galaxy season. The main galaxy is unique with a massive plume of plasma ejecting from its core, while the neighbors are a catalog of spiral galaxy viewing angles.
Virgo-A Galaxy and friends
Tag: Ngc4594 
The Sombrero Galaxy features a bright core illuminated by over 2,000 globular clusters and presents a dark dust lane in the edgewise view of the spiral.
M104: The Sombrero Galaxy
A detailed look at the flying saucer with a Celestron EdgeHD 9.25.
M104: The Sombrero Galxy with the Edge
Tag: Ngc4826 
This lonely galaxy is obscurred by a dark band of dust.
M64: The Black Eye Galaxy
Tag: Ngc5024 
M53 is a globular cluster that is about 58,000 lightyears from our solar system and nearly the same distance (60,000 lightyears) from our galaxy core.
M53
Tag: Ngc5055 
The Sunflower Galaxy is nearly 30 million light years away and home to an estimated 400 billion stars.
M63: Sunflower Galaxy at 2 meters
If you look closely at this spiral galaxy, you may be able to count its approximately 400 billion stars.
M63: The Sunflower Galaxy
Tag: Ngc5146 
The cocoon nebula incubates at a distance of about 4,000 light years, awainting its transformation as a reflection and emission nebula.
NGC5146: The Cocoon Nebula
Tag: Ngc5194 
A stellar example of a grand-design galaxy, the whirlpool is tugging on its distant companion, the yellow NGC5195, and the resulting tidal forces may be creating new stars.
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy
5 sessions of exposures over one year!
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy in 2022
One of my favorite targets imaged for the first time with my Celestron telescope and the Optolong L-eXtreme filter.
M51: The Whirlpool Up Close
Tag: Ngc5195 
A stellar example of a grand-design galaxy, the whirlpool is tugging on its distant companion, the yellow NGC5195, and the resulting tidal forces may be creating new stars.
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy
5 sessions of exposures over one year!
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy in 2022
One of my favorite targets imaged for the first time with my Celestron telescope and the Optolong L-eXtreme filter.
M51: The Whirlpool Up Close
Tag: Ngc5263 
A night of exposures with Stellina.
M3: Full night capture in 2022
M3 is one of the largest and brightest clusters visible from Earth.
M3: Globular Cluster
Tag: Ngc5272 
A night of exposures with Stellina.
M3: Full night capture in 2022
M3 is one of the largest and brightest clusters visible from Earth.
M3: Globular Cluster
Tag: Ngc5422 
This shot of the popular M101 Pinwheel Galaxy was taken at 336mm to produce a wide field that reveals myriad neighboring galaxies.
M101: The Pinwheel Galaxy's Neighborhood
Tag: Ngc5455 
A year of images to contribute to a detailed photo of the Pinwheel.
The Detailed M101: Pinwheel Galaxy
Tag: Ngc5457 
A beautiful spiral galaxy that is quite photogenic.
M101: The Pinwheel Galaxy
This shot of the popular M101 Pinwheel Galaxy was taken at 336mm to produce a wide field that reveals myriad neighboring galaxies.
M101: The Pinwheel Galaxy's Neighborhood
A year of images to contribute to a detailed photo of the Pinwheel.
The Detailed M101: Pinwheel Galaxy
Tag: Ngc5461 
A beautiful spiral galaxy that is quite photogenic.
M101: The Pinwheel Galaxy
A year of images to contribute to a detailed photo of the Pinwheel.
The Detailed M101: Pinwheel Galaxy
Tag: Ngc5471 
A beautiful spiral galaxy that is quite photogenic.
M101: The Pinwheel Galaxy
A year of images to contribute to a detailed photo of the Pinwheel.
The Detailed M101: Pinwheel Galaxy
Tag: Ngc5474 
This shot of the popular M101 Pinwheel Galaxy was taken at 336mm to produce a wide field that reveals myriad neighboring galaxies.
M101: The Pinwheel Galaxy's Neighborhood
Tag: Ngc5477 
A beautiful spiral galaxy that is quite photogenic.
M101: The Pinwheel Galaxy
A year of images to contribute to a detailed photo of the Pinwheel.
The Detailed M101: Pinwheel Galaxy
Tag: Ngc5485 
This shot of the popular M101 Pinwheel Galaxy was taken at 336mm to produce a wide field that reveals myriad neighboring galaxies.
M101: The Pinwheel Galaxy's Neighborhood
Tag: Ngc581 
Cassiopeia hosts the open cluster M103 that contains a few hundred colorful stars. It is an easy cluster to find, located very near the 'W' shape of the constellation.
M103: Open Cluster in Cassipeia
Tag: Ngc5904 
'My friend, I don't always photograph stars, but when I do, I prefer globular clusters.' M5 is a top favorite of mine (M13 holds the #1 spot) and I was excited to image it at 1650mm focal length. You can count the stars! (When William Herschel did it in 1791, he counted 200).
M5
M5, the rose cluster, framed with nearby variable binary 5 Ser.
M5 and 5Ser
Tag: Ngc5907 
This is a spiral galaxy viewed edge-on from 50 million light years away.
NGC5907: The Knife Edge Galaxy
Tag: Ngc595 
Another night of imaging to add to an ongoing project to image M33.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy
M33, the Triangulum Galaxy, is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Pinwheel Galaxy (that title is held by M101). It is one of the few galaxies visible to the naked eye.
M33: The Triangulum Galaxy
Tag: Ngc598 
Another night of imaging to add to an ongoing project to image M33.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy
M33, the Triangulum Galaxy, is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Pinwheel Galaxy (that title is held by M101). It is one of the few galaxies visible to the naked eye.
M33: The Triangulum Galaxy
Tag: Ngc604 
Another night of imaging to add to an ongoing project to image M33.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy
M33, the Triangulum Galaxy, is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Pinwheel Galaxy (that title is held by M101). It is one of the few galaxies visible to the naked eye.
M33: The Triangulum Galaxy
Tag: Ngc6205 
This cluster, just barely visible to the naked eye, contains several hundred thousand stars in its diameter of 145 light years.
M13: The Hercules Globular Cluster
Tag: Ngc6218 
A cluster that is distinct for its abundance of apparently low-mass stars.
M12
Tag: Ngc6254 
This cluster spans just over 80 light years in diameter at a distance of 14,300 light years.
M10
Tag: Ngc6341 
A glubular cluster in Hercules.
M92
Tag: Ngc6514 
This is a specially framed capture to grab two Messier objects, one of which is a cluster, reflection nebula, emission nebula, and dark nebula all at the same time.
M20 and M21: Trifid Nebula and Webb's Cross
Trifid means 'three lobe' and refers to the illusion created by a wispy dark nebula spidering across the face of a more distant emission nebula.
M20: Trifid Nebula
A widefield shot of a region filled with beautiful nebulae, galaxies and star clusters.
The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae
Tag: Ngc6523 
This large, bright and beautiful nebula stays low on the horizon in the Pacific Northwest, making it a challenging target to observe.
M8: The Lagoon Nebula
A widefield shot of a region filled with beautiful nebulae, galaxies and star clusters.
The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae
Tag: Ngc6526 
This large, bright and beautiful nebula stays low on the horizon in the Pacific Northwest, making it a challenging target to observe.
M8: The Lagoon Nebula
A widefield shot of a region filled with beautiful nebulae, galaxies and star clusters.
The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae
Tag: Ngc6530 
This large, bright and beautiful nebula stays low on the horizon in the Pacific Northwest, making it a challenging target to observe.
M8: The Lagoon Nebula
A widefield shot of a region filled with beautiful nebulae, galaxies and star clusters.
The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae
Tag: Ngc6531 
This is a specially framed capture to grab two Messier objects, one of which is a cluster, reflection nebula, emission nebula, and dark nebula all at the same time.
M20 and M21: Trifid Nebula and Webb's Cross
A widefield shot of a region filled with beautiful nebulae, galaxies and star clusters.
The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae
Tag: Ngc6544 
A widefield shot of a region filled with beautiful nebulae, galaxies and star clusters.
The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae
Tag: Ngc6603 
M24 is a Messier object that isn't a deep space target, but instead describes a region of the sky so dense with stars it forms a cloud named the Small Sagittarius Cloud.
M24: The Small Sagittarius Cloud
Tag: Ngc6611 
This glimpse of star-filled skies features a dense part of the Milky Way.
A Glimpse of the Milky Way
Located along the 'spine' of the Milky Way near several other popular nebulae, M16 has many names from the Star Queen to the Eagle Nebula. A vast emission nebula, at its heart lies the fabled Pillars of Creation. Just over 3 hours exposure went into this image.
M16 Eagle Nebula
The Eagle Nebula spreads its wings along the spine of the Milky Way. It embraces massive pillars of star-forming dust known as the Pillars of Creation.
M16: Portrait of the Eagle Nebula
M16 is called the Eagle Nebula due to its overall shape, but it's the smoky columns that span lightyears in height that make it famous. The columns are called the Pillars of Creation.
M16: The Eagle Nebula
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
Venus is partially covered by clouds. To the left rises the core of the Milky Way.
The Milky Way over Venus
I only spent 30 minutes imaging the heart of the Eagle Nebula (M16) commonly known as the Pillars of Creation. This shot is a combination of RGB and Hydrogen alpha.
The Pillars of Creation
Tag: Ngc6618 
A nebula with many names, the swan, lobster or horseshoe nebula is a bright object that is easy to capture.
M17: The Omega Nebula
Tag: Ngc6705 
An open cluster of stars discovered in 1681.
M11: The Wild Duck Cluster
Tag: Ngc6720 
A star shed this ring of ionized gas as it collapsed into a white dwarf.
M57: The Ring Nebula
Tag: Ngc6727 
Venus is partially covered by clouds. To the left rises the core of the Milky Way.
The Milky Way over Venus
Tag: Ngc6823 
NGC6823 is a small reflection nebula with intriguing dust columns that span light years in size and are believed to serve as the building material to form new stars.
NGC6823
Tag: Ngc6838 
In the constellation Sagitta lies a controversial group of stars that might be a dense open star cluster, or may be an unusually loose globular cluster. Either way it's home to 20,000, many of which shine a distinctive gold color.
M71
Tag: Ngc6853 
This bright nebula visible in binoculars is a planetary nebula surrounding a white dwarf star.
M27: Dumbbell Nebula
This bright close-up of the Dumbbell Nebula combines traditional RGB with highlights in H-alpha (Ha) provided by a narrowband Optolong L-Extreme filter. 30 minutes with a UV/IR cut filter and 28 minutes with the L-Extreme.
M27: Dumbbell Nebula with Optolong L-Extreme
A quick imaging session to capture the beauty and detail of planetary nebula M27.
M27: The Dumbbell Nebula in 10 minutes
Tag: Ngc6888 
This part of the sky is bursting with clusters and nebulae as the Milky Way dominates the background behind part of the Cygnus constellation.
A Starfield in the Cygnus Contellation
The Crescent Nebula is formed by the interaction of stellar winds around a red giant.
NGC6888: The Crescent Nebula
A close-up of the Crescent Nebula. NGC6888 is the expanding shell of an ancient supernova with supercharged dust particles that glow from the energy of nearby stars.
NGC6888: The Crescent Nebula Rave Edition
This is a long focal length (1645mm) capture of the Crescent Nebula using a narrowband filter to enhace the detail.
NGC6888: The Crescent Nebula in Hydrogen Alpha
Fourth time is the charm? Another attempt to image this bright but complex nebula that looks like a red brain wrapped in blue gel.
The Crescent Brain
Tag: Ngc6910 
The Sadr region is the name of the nebulosity that surrounds the brilliant center star of Cygnus' cross. Here, the massive supergiant estimated to contain over 10 times the mass the sun in a radius 150 times as wide glows triumphantly in the center of the frame.
The Sadr Region
Tag: Ngc6913 
A bright open cluster of stars in the Cygnus constellation.
M29 Open Cluster
Tag: Ngc6960 
A look back at the first year of my astrophotography with my favorite photos from 2021.
2021 in Retrospective and Favorite Photos
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
A brilliant star caps the veil in this delicate and beautiful nebula.
NGC6960: The Veil Nebula
The Cygnus Loop is a massive structure of supercharged gas expanding rapidly from the center of a supernova in the distant past. This image captures the Veil Nebula or Witch's broom end and used a narrowband filter to enhance the detail.
The Cygnus Loop
The Cygnus Loop is a massive supernova remnant that emits radiation across the full electromagnetic spectrum. The broadband or visible portion is often classified as separate nebulae like NGC6960 ('The Veil Nebula' or the 'Witch's broom') and NGC6962. This is a wide field shot that captures the entire loop over 2 hours of exposure with a narrowband filter.
The full Cygnus Loop
Tag: Ngc6979 
The Cygnus Loop is a massive structure of supercharged gas expanding rapidly from the center of a supernova in the distant past. This image captures the Veil Nebula or Witch's broom end and used a narrowband filter to enhance the detail.
The Cygnus Loop
The Cygnus Loop is a massive supernova remnant that emits radiation across the full electromagnetic spectrum. The broadband or visible portion is often classified as separate nebulae like NGC6960 ('The Veil Nebula' or the 'Witch's broom') and NGC6962. This is a wide field shot that captures the entire loop over 2 hours of exposure with a narrowband filter.
The full Cygnus Loop
Tag: Ngc6989 
A widefield shot showing the full nebula using 5-minute exposures.
NGC7000 The North America Nebula framed
Tag: Ngc6992 
The Milky Way as it arched over Snoqualmie Point Park.
Milky Way in the Snoqualmie Sky
This beautiful nebula is part of a supernova remnant that spans a large field of view.
NGC6992: The Eastern Veil Nebula
Learn how to set up Telescopius to plan mosaics.
Planning Mosaics with Telescopius and Processing with AstroPixel Processor
The Cygnus Loop is a massive supernova remnant that emits radiation across the full electromagnetic spectrum. The broadband or visible portion is often classified as separate nebulae like NGC6960 ('The Veil Nebula' or the 'Witch's broom') and NGC6962. This is a wide field shot that captures the entire loop over 2 hours of exposure with a narrowband filter.
The full Cygnus Loop
Tag: Ngc6995 
This beautiful nebula is part of a supernova remnant that spans a large field of view.
NGC6992: The Eastern Veil Nebula
The Cygnus Loop is a massive supernova remnant that emits radiation across the full electromagnetic spectrum. The broadband or visible portion is often classified as separate nebulae like NGC6960 ('The Veil Nebula' or the 'Witch's broom') and NGC6962. This is a wide field shot that captures the entire loop over 2 hours of exposure with a narrowband filter.
The full Cygnus Loop
Tag: Ngc6997 
This 336mm focal length shot captures such how expansive, bright, and beautiful the North America Nebula is.
NGC7000 A Wide Field North America Nebula
A widefield shot showing the full nebula using 5-minute exposures.
NGC7000 The North America Nebula framed
Tag: Ngc7000 
This part of the sky is bursting with clusters and nebulae as the Milky Way dominates the background behind part of the Cygnus constellation.
A Starfield in the Cygnus Contellation
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
This 336mm focal length shot captures such how expansive, bright, and beautiful the North America Nebula is.
NGC7000 A Wide Field North America Nebula
A widefield shot showing the full nebula using 5-minute exposures.
NGC7000 The North America Nebula framed
The North America nebula is vast and my telescope can only capture a small frame. I created this mosaic to appreciate the breadth and depth of its beauty.
NGC7000: North America Nebula Mosaic
Tag: Ngc7008 
The so-called fetus nebula looks like an embryo stretched one light year in diameter waiting to be born 2,800 light years away.
NGC7008: The Fetus Nebula
Tag: Ngc7023 
A look back at the first year of my astrophotography with my favorite photos from 2021.
2021 in Retrospective and Favorite Photos
The Iris Nebula is a beautiful reflection nebula lit from behind by a bright star. Although the beautiful blue core is easily visible even with regular camera lenses, it takes dark skies and long exposures to bring out the subtle ripples of dust that appear to expand from the center.
NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula and Cosmic Dust
This inky nebula is a reflection nebula that is illuminated by a central star and glows blue.
NGC7023: The Iris Nebula
Tag: Ngc7078 
An estimated age of over 12 billion years makes M15 the oldest known globular cluster. This massive grouping of stars is collapsing under its own gravitation pull, drawing the stars in towards a possible black hole in its core.
M15: Ancient Globular Cluster
Multi-session capture of one of the oldest known globular clusters. Happy 12 billionth birthday, M15!
M15: The Grandfather of Clusters
Tag: Ngc7089 
M2
Tag: Ngc7092 
This part of the sky is bursting with clusters and nebulae as the Milky Way dominates the background behind part of the Cygnus constellation.
A Starfield in the Cygnus Contellation
An open cluster in the Cygnus constellation with an apparent size larger than the moon, making it visible with binoculars.
M39 Open Cluster
Tag: Ngc7129 
The Cosmic Rose is a hot cauldron of starbirth with vast molecular clouds that reflect the bluish light of young stars.
NGC7129: The Cosmic Rose
Tag: Ngc7142 
The Cosmic Rose is a hot cauldron of starbirth with vast molecular clouds that reflect the bluish light of young stars.
NGC7129: The Cosmic Rose
Tag: Ngc7293 
NGC7293 is a planetary nebula that stays low on the horizon at my latitude. It is almost always low in the atmosphere glow of the horizon and often near a streetlamp. I wasn't expecting much when I spent an hour taking 20 5-minute captures while waiting for the Pleiades to rise, but I was surprised when I processed the results. This nebula is less than 1000 light years away. Do you feel like someone is watching you? It should be obvious why the Helix Nebula is sometimes called the 'Eye of God.'
The Eye of God
Tag: Ngc7331 
This spiral galaxy believed to be a similar size and shape as the Milky Way shares its field of view with several other galaxies.
NGC7331: The Milky Way's Twin
Tag: Ngc7335 
This spiral galaxy believed to be a similar size and shape as the Milky Way shares its field of view with several other galaxies.
NGC7331: The Milky Way's Twin
Tag: Ngc7337 
This spiral galaxy believed to be a similar size and shape as the Milky Way shares its field of view with several other galaxies.
NGC7331: The Milky Way's Twin
Tag: Ngc7340 
This spiral galaxy believed to be a similar size and shape as the Milky Way shares its field of view with several other galaxies.
NGC7331: The Milky Way's Twin
Tag: Ngc7380 
The Wizard Nebula is a faint nebula that requires lots of exposures and possibly a filter to see. It surrounds a young cluster of stars.
NGC7380: The Wizard Nebula
Clear skies provided the opportunity to finally image a target that's been blocked by trees most of this year. I was able to image all night, but despite the warmer weather I lost some time due to dew forming on my lens (I was lazy and didn't set up the dew heater). This is the Wizard Nebula and you can probably tell why. Imaged mainly in Hydrogen alpha with a few broadband captures for stars.
NGC7380: The Wizard in Recline
Tag: Ngc7635 
The bubble is a cloud of molecular gas blown outward by an energetic young star and supercharged so it glows.
NGC7635: The Bubble Nebula
A detailed look at this amazing bubble of windswept particles being irradiated by a giant star 45 times as massive as our own sun.
NGC7635: The Bubble Nebula in Red
Tag: Ngc7654 
This sprinkling of light and dark stars is an open cluster near Cassiopeia.
M52 Cassiopeia Salt and Pepper Cluster
Tag: Ngc7789 
This glowing W-shaped constellation is a centerpiece amongst several nebulae and galaxies.s
Cassiopeia
Caroline's Rose is a cluster of about 1,000 stars that spans 50 light years and shares the apparent size of the moon.
NGC7789: Caroline's Rose
Tag: Ngc869 
A look back at the first year of my astrophotography with my favorite photos from 2021.
2021 in Retrospective and Favorite Photos
A bright and colorful grouping of two clusters that span a section of the sky twice the size of a full moon.
NGC884 and NGC869: The Double Cluster in Perseus
Tag: Ngc884 
A look back at the first year of my astrophotography with my favorite photos from 2021.
2021 in Retrospective and Favorite Photos
A bright and colorful grouping of two clusters that span a section of the sky twice the size of a full moon.
NGC884 and NGC869: The Double Cluster in Perseus
Tag: Ngc896 
The star cluster Melotte 15 contains bright young stars that energize hydrogen, causing it to emit the red light that illuminates this heart-shaped nebula. In the corner is its near companion Fishead Nebula.
IC1805: The Heart Nebula
Tag: Noise reduction 
A full end-to-end processing workflow from acquiring images to final polish using AstroPixel Processor, PixInsight, and Topaz Labs.
Processing NGC2174: The Monkey Head Nebula
Tag: North america nebula 
This part of the sky is bursting with clusters and nebulae as the Milky Way dominates the background behind part of the Cygnus constellation.
A Starfield in the Cygnus Contellation
A Milky Way shot from Index, WA.
Milky Way at Index
This 336mm focal length shot captures such how expansive, bright, and beautiful the North America Nebula is.
NGC7000 A Wide Field North America Nebula
A widefield shot showing the full nebula using 5-minute exposures.
NGC7000 The North America Nebula framed
Tag: Omega nebula 
A nebula with many names, the swan, lobster or horseshoe nebula is a bright object that is easy to capture.
M17: The Omega Nebula
Tag: Omi per cloud 
IC348 is a star-forming nebula with about 400 stars.
IC348
Tag: Orion 
A look back at the first year of my astrophotography with my favorite photos from 2021.
2021 in Retrospective and Favorite Photos
Tag: Orion b 
This detailed photograph of the Orion constellation is rich nebulae. The Flame Nebula is on the left of the 'belt' and the Orion Nebula pops at the bottom of the 'sword'.
Detailed Orion with Flame Nebula and Orion Nebula
IC434 illuminates the nearby Horsehead Nebula that rears its head in silhouette. Dominating left is the triple star system Alnitak with its main superhot blue giant centerpiece that adorns the undulating waves of NGC2024, the Flame Nebula.
IC434 NGC2024: The Horse and the Flam