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Chris Schur recently captured the sprawling emission nebula Sharpless 2-140, which is slowly creating the small open cluster Pismis-Moreno 1, some 3,000 light-years away in Cepheus. Enjoy!
December 11, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Chris Schur recently captured the sprawling emission nebula Sharpless 2-140, which is slowly creating the small open cluster Pismis-Moreno 1, some 3,000 light-years away in Cepheus. Enjoy!
NGC 7822 in Cepheus is an emission nebula that is slowly producing a young open cluster, Berkeley 59. Richard Whitehead captured this star-forming region, lying 2,900 light-years away, in great detail, including its rich network of dark nebulae.
December 11, 2025 at 2:00 PM
NGC 7822 in Cepheus is an emission nebula that is slowly producing a young open cluster, Berkeley 59. Richard Whitehead captured this star-forming region, lying 2,900 light-years away, in great detail, including its rich network of dark nebulae.
This is a little bit of an older image, but still a killer . . . Ken Crawford’s great capture of the face-on spiral NGC 6946, which lies 25 million light-years away near the border of Cygnus and Cepheus. Enjoy!
December 10, 2025 at 9:56 PM
This is a little bit of an older image, but still a killer . . . Ken Crawford’s great capture of the face-on spiral NGC 6946, which lies 25 million light-years away near the border of Cygnus and Cepheus. Enjoy!
Jupiter in perfect seeing with the Great Red Spot and the large moon Ganymede at lower right, caught beautifully anew by the great Chris Go. Enjoy!
December 10, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Jupiter in perfect seeing with the Great Red Spot and the large moon Ganymede at lower right, caught beautifully anew by the great Chris Go. Enjoy!
On November 8 Jamie Cooper imaged the distant planet Uranus, looking good from a distance of approximately 1.8 billion miles. Enjoy!
December 9, 2025 at 8:07 PM
On November 8 Jamie Cooper imaged the distant planet Uranus, looking good from a distance of approximately 1.8 billion miles. Enjoy!
Adrian Bradley’s wide-field images of the Milky Way, here rising in Michigan, never fail to inspire. A great cosmic canvas here!
December 9, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Adrian Bradley’s wide-field images of the Milky Way, here rising in Michigan, never fail to inspire. A great cosmic canvas here!
Ronnie Yates has produced this absolutely stunning image of the Triangulum Galaxy, M33, the third large spiral in our Local Group of galaxies. At a distance of 2.7 million light-years, it’s a stunning sight!
December 8, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Ronnie Yates has produced this absolutely stunning image of the Triangulum Galaxy, M33, the third large spiral in our Local Group of galaxies. At a distance of 2.7 million light-years, it’s a stunning sight!
On December 5 Chris Schur recorded this mammoth line of sunspots, showing tremendous granulation and significant magnetism that has lowered the surface temperature of the Sun in these areas. Enjoy!
December 8, 2025 at 3:25 PM
On December 5 Chris Schur recorded this mammoth line of sunspots, showing tremendous granulation and significant magnetism that has lowered the surface temperature of the Sun in these areas. Enjoy!
The loosely wound spiral NGC 300 is one of the principal close galaxies outside our Local Group, lying just 7 million light-years away, closer than the Sculptor Group. It is on our cosmic doorstep, and is captured beautifully by Bob Fera and Steve Mandel.
December 5, 2025 at 3:54 PM
The loosely wound spiral NGC 300 is one of the principal close galaxies outside our Local Group, lying just 7 million light-years away, closer than the Sculptor Group. It is on our cosmic doorstep, and is captured beautifully by Bob Fera and Steve Mandel.
Sharpless 2–308, sometimes called the Dolphin Head Nebula, is a large bubble of emission nebulosity lying 4,500 light-years away in Canis Major. John Chumack’s portrait captures a chaotic home of new star formation in the galaxy.
December 4, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Sharpless 2–308, sometimes called the Dolphin Head Nebula, is a large bubble of emission nebulosity lying 4,500 light-years away in Canis Major. John Chumack’s portrait captures a chaotic home of new star formation in the galaxy.
Bob Fera and Steve Mandel have created a spectacular look inside the central region of one of the most celebrated of all deep-sky objects, the Orion Nebula. The level of detail in and around the Trapezium here is absolutely amazing — enjoy!
December 3, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Bob Fera and Steve Mandel have created a spectacular look inside the central region of one of the most celebrated of all deep-sky objects, the Orion Nebula. The level of detail in and around the Trapezium here is absolutely amazing — enjoy!
This wide-field shot of central Cassiopeia taken by Chris Schur captures a variety of deep-sky objects, including the Owl Cluster (upper left), the nebula Simeis 22 (to its left), the Pac-Man Nebula (center), and several more open clusters.
December 2, 2025 at 3:48 PM
This wide-field shot of central Cassiopeia taken by Chris Schur captures a variety of deep-sky objects, including the Owl Cluster (upper left), the nebula Simeis 22 (to its left), the Pac-Man Nebula (center), and several more open clusters.
John Chumack’s portrait of the Witch Head Nebula in Eridanus shows a rare, very large reflection nebula. The object lies near the base of Orion, some 1,000 light-years away, and is extraordinarily faint visually but a popular target for imagers.
December 2, 2025 at 12:26 AM
John Chumack’s portrait of the Witch Head Nebula in Eridanus shows a rare, very large reflection nebula. The object lies near the base of Orion, some 1,000 light-years away, and is extraordinarily faint visually but a popular target for imagers.
This is a really cool shot by Chris Schur. On November 24 he captured Comet C/240P NEAT just past perihelion, showing the comet’s nucleus split into two pieces. At the time the comet shone at about magnitude 12. Enjoy!
December 1, 2025 at 6:40 PM
This is a really cool shot by Chris Schur. On November 24 he captured Comet C/240P NEAT just past perihelion, showing the comet’s nucleus split into two pieces. At the time the comet shone at about magnitude 12. Enjoy!
Tony Hallas has imaged the highly unusual and very ancient planetary nebula HFG 1 in Cassiopeia. Produced by the decomposition of a binary star, the nebula is moving rapidly through the galaxy and producing this bluish bow shock. Enjoy!
December 1, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Tony Hallas has imaged the highly unusual and very ancient planetary nebula HFG 1 in Cassiopeia. Produced by the decomposition of a binary star, the nebula is moving rapidly through the galaxy and producing this bluish bow shock. Enjoy!
A new transient event in the Andromeda Galaxy, AT2025 abao, has been observed and is initially thought to be a nova. On November 26 Chris Go imaged the star from Cebu in the Philippines. Enjoy!
November 26, 2025 at 8:51 PM
A new transient event in the Andromeda Galaxy, AT2025 abao, has been observed and is initially thought to be a nova. On November 26 Chris Go imaged the star from Cebu in the Philippines. Enjoy!
Reposted
The first time I’ve ever seen the northern lights. So beautiful.
November 26, 2025 at 1:38 AM
The first time I’ve ever seen the northern lights. So beautiful.
On the border of Draco and Cepheus lies a fantastic, cascading dark nebula catalogued as LDN 1152. Bob Fera and Steve Mandel imaged this object, giving us a window into the almost limitless world of stars and gas clouds lying out in the galaxy.
November 26, 2025 at 3:11 PM
On the border of Draco and Cepheus lies a fantastic, cascading dark nebula catalogued as LDN 1152. Bob Fera and Steve Mandel imaged this object, giving us a window into the almost limitless world of stars and gas clouds lying out in the galaxy.
Sometimes you just need a good picture of an aurora. This great image was captured by John Chumack earlier this year, and shows great activity captured just after sunset. Enjoy!
November 25, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Sometimes you just need a good picture of an aurora. This great image was captured by John Chumack earlier this year, and shows great activity captured just after sunset. Enjoy!
Check out John Chumack’s excellent portrait of the Cocoon Nebula (bottom), IC 5146, in Cygnus. This object is a combination of emission and reflection nebulosity lying 2,500 light-years away, and is churning out a new generation of stars.
November 24, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Check out John Chumack’s excellent portrait of the Cocoon Nebula (bottom), IC 5146, in Cygnus. This object is a combination of emission and reflection nebulosity lying 2,500 light-years away, and is churning out a new generation of stars.
Peering into the death of a solar-mass star: The planetary nebula Abell 78 lies in Cygnus at a distance of about 5,000 light-years. This expanding shell of gas will diffuse into the interstellar medium over the next 50,000 years. Photo by Bob Fera and Steve Mandel.
November 24, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Peering into the death of a solar-mass star: The planetary nebula Abell 78 lies in Cygnus at a distance of about 5,000 light-years. This expanding shell of gas will diffuse into the interstellar medium over the next 50,000 years. Photo by Bob Fera and Steve Mandel.
On November 22 Scott Dearinger captured Saturn’s extremely thin, nearly edge-on rings, as well as the planet’s brightest satellite, Titan. Enjoy!
November 23, 2025 at 1:55 PM
On November 22 Scott Dearinger captured Saturn’s extremely thin, nearly edge-on rings, as well as the planet’s brightest satellite, Titan. Enjoy!
Chris Schur has captured a wide field of nebulosity on the opposite side of Deneb, in Cygnus, from the North America Nebula. These nebulous arcs were produced by stellar wind bubbles and supernova remnants. Check out this area when you get a chance!
November 22, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Chris Schur has captured a wide field of nebulosity on the opposite side of Deneb, in Cygnus, from the North America Nebula. These nebulous arcs were produced by stellar wind bubbles and supernova remnants. Check out this area when you get a chance!
Bob Fera and Steve Mandel have captured Sharpless 2-155, an emission nebula in Cepheus sometimes called the Cave Nebula. The complex of gas, dust, and infant stars here shows the whole spectrum of star formation in the galaxy.
November 21, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Bob Fera and Steve Mandel have captured Sharpless 2-155, an emission nebula in Cepheus sometimes called the Cave Nebula. The complex of gas, dust, and infant stars here shows the whole spectrum of star formation in the galaxy.
Look at this extraordinary image taken by Bob Fera and Steve Mandel: It shows the emission nebula NGC 456 inside the Small Magellanic Cloud, the Milky Way satellite galaxy, which lies some 200,000 light-years away.
November 20, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Look at this extraordinary image taken by Bob Fera and Steve Mandel: It shows the emission nebula NGC 456 inside the Small Magellanic Cloud, the Milky Way satellite galaxy, which lies some 200,000 light-years away.