🔭 M55 by
M55, like other globular clusters in the Milky Way, contains few elements besides hydrogen and helium compared to the Sun. Therefore, Messier 55 has low metallicity.M55 is estimated to be about 12.5 billion years old, and thus contains very old stars, mostly of spectral types F to K and evolved red giants.The Shapley-Sawyer concentration class for M55 is XI, meaning the cluster is highly decongested toward the center. This class also agrees with historical observations of the cluster.Despite being in Sagittarius, where dust is abundant, M55 is located in a relatively dust-free region, so extinction in its direction is less than typical for that constellation.
Pedro_SánchezM55, like other globular clusters in the Milky Way, contains few elements besides hydrogen and helium compared to the Sun. Therefore, Messier 55 has low metallicity.M55 is estimated to be about 12.5 billion years old, and thus contains very old stars, mostly of spectral types F to K and evolved red giants.The Shapley-Sawyer concentration class for M55 is XI, meaning the cluster is highly decongested toward the center. This class also agrees with historical observations of the cluster.Despite being in Sagittarius, where dust is abundant, M55 is located in a relatively dust-free region, so extinction in its direction is less than typical for that constellation.
🔭 c/2025 K1 by
The comet designated C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) was discovered this past May. Originating from the relatively remote Oort Cloud, it is now struggling to survive within the solar system. At least three fragments have broken off from the comet to date, and it is currently observable with telescopes of 8 inches or larger in aperture. Whether it will continue its journey or disintegrate completely remains uncertain, but observers can seize this rare opportunity to witness the final outcome of this process firsthand.
APOWLuoThe comet designated C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) was discovered this past May. Originating from the relatively remote Oort Cloud, it is now struggling to survive within the solar system. At least three fragments have broken off from the comet to date, and it is currently observable with telescopes of 8 inches or larger in aperture. Whether it will continue its journey or disintegrate completely remains uncertain, but observers can seize this rare opportunity to witness the final outcome of this process firsthand.
🔭 NGC 891 - A deep dive by
NGC 891 has long been one of my favorite galaxies. I remember getting my first image of it circa 2000 with a starlight xpress camera and my trusty LX50 scope.To be able to get this detail with my observatory and 17” scope will never get old to me!If you click below you’ll see the full frame image. There are so many amazing little galaxies to be found.[url=https://app.astrobin.com/i/8dtatg?r=B][img]https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/VipLxAutUEbL_130x130_rieGJgNQ.png[/img][/url]Thanks for looking!
HillbradNGC 891 has long been one of my favorite galaxies. I remember getting my first image of it circa 2000 with a starlight xpress camera and my trusty LX50 scope.To be able to get this detail with my observatory and 17” scope will never get old to me!If you click below you’ll see the full frame image. There are so many amazing little galaxies to be found.[url=https://app.astrobin.com/i/8dtatg?r=B][img]https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/VipLxAutUEbL_130x130_rieGJgNQ.png[/img][/url]Thanks for looking!
🔭 M15 : A star cluster mixed with dust & Ha by
M15 / NGC 7078 / Great Pegasus Cluster captured in LRGB with a subtle layer of Hα revealing faint ionized-gas filaments in the background. The extremely dense core of M15 stands out with remarkable stellar richness, while the outer regions gradually fade into a sky gently textured by diffuse Hα emission. A composition that highlights both the compact structure of this ancient cluster and the depth of the surrounding field.
Robert13M15 / NGC 7078 / Great Pegasus Cluster captured in LRGB with a subtle layer of Hα revealing faint ionized-gas filaments in the background. The extremely dense core of M15 stands out with remarkable stellar richness, while the outer regions gradually fade into a sky gently textured by diffuse Hα emission. A composition that highlights both the compact structure of this ancient cluster and the depth of the surrounding field.
🔭 Jupiter 26-Nov-25 by
Jupiter on the morning of the 26th during a brief period of above average seeing. Detail obtained from IR data through wavelet decomposition.24" Dob, APM 2.7x (@3.25x), ADC, Uranus-C/M. IR642, UV/IR cut. 0.068"/px.
tw__astroJupiter on the morning of the 26th during a brief period of above average seeing. Detail obtained from IR data through wavelet decomposition.24" Dob, APM 2.7x (@3.25x), ADC, Uranus-C/M. IR642, UV/IR cut. 0.068"/px.
🔭 IC1805, IC1848, SNRG132.7+1.3, Mosaic X 3 (1000hrs Deep Exposure) by
Heart and Soul are two bright emission nebulae located in the northern sky, with a multi-layered background filled with dark clouds, Ha, and Sii signals. Below the Heart Nebula is a supernova remnant larger than a full moon.For this purpose, we used three SQA55 cameras and captured three vertical mosaic compositions, perfectly framing the three. The work was completed by me, 小卡子 and SSSZZZ, and took 5 months to complete. The total exposure was over 1000 hours, and the rich signal-to-noise ratio allowed almost all details to be fully revealed!📷 575e828ae0910374f7c2eb2b822bf56f.png📷 figure1.jpgThe work captured a total of seven LRGBSHO channels (Figure 1), with varying exposure times for each frame. The broadband signal was captured by ssszzz, while the narrowband signal was captured by me and 小卡子. Following the principle that S and O exposure times are several times H, the remaining shooting time for the three SHO channels was calculated based on the matching signal-to-noise ratio due to different lunar phases. A table was created for better overall planning (Figure 2).The Sii channel has been exposed for nearly 400 hours, which is the longest time. As it outlines the main target outline and a magnificent red diffuse signal in the background, it requires very strong stretching in the later stage. Therefore, the Sii power with sufficient exposure is enormous, which can be said to be the basis of the entire work. At the same time, the supernova remnant signal is also the strongest in the Sii channel (Figure 3)📷 figure3.pngThe O-channel was exposed for 266 hours, and its signal showed a diffuse surface distribution on the main body, while on the supernova remnant at the tail, it showed sharp filamentous patterns. This is the most difficult point of this work, as it is very dim and weak, with only a faint shadow after 20 hours. Therefore, the third single O-channel took nearly 154 hours to obtain the ultimate three-dimensional filamentous details (Figure 4); The SNR near the core has already overflowed, so there is basically no need for noise reduction, and the later consumption experience is very good.The H channel was exposed for 156 hours and was very bright with a high signal-to-noise ratio, perfectly consuming almost all of the lunar time. Due to the limited distribution of supernova remnants in H, no key shots were taken, but the signal-to-noise ratio was still good.The L-channel exposure was 168 hours, and the main reason for the long shooting time was that my friend did not have a SHO filter. However, it was still sufficient to capture the signal-to-noise ratio of the dark clouds in the spatial background. The background dark clouds and Sii, Ha signals interweave, highlighting the visible and invisible layers of the universe and greatly improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the entire image.The RGB channel has a total exposure of 36 hours, providing color supplementation for background dark clouds and sparkling RGB star points.This work was taken from mid July to early December, and we pressed almost all the exposure time of three SQA55 cameras, almost shooting until vomiting. After organizing the shooting folder, I alone have 100 GB of data, which can be described as a ruthless exposure machine.Thank you to the “小卡子” and “ssszzz” who were forcibly tied to the car by me for their participation. This is our most in-depth work since we entered the pit, and your collaboration has made this picture even more dazzling. It has shown me the ocean of signal-to-noise ratio and the potential of small aperture ultra wide mosaic!📷 figure4.jpg
Wanzhiyuan001Heart and Soul are two bright emission nebulae located in the northern sky, with a multi-layered background filled with dark clouds, Ha, and Sii signals. Below the Heart Nebula is a supernova remnant larger than a full moon.For this purpose, we used three SQA55 cameras and captured three vertical mosaic compositions, perfectly framing the three. The work was completed by me, 小卡子 and SSSZZZ, and took 5 months to complete. The total exposure was over 1000 hours, and the rich signal-to-noise ratio allowed almost all details to be fully revealed!📷 575e828ae0910374f7c2eb2b822bf56f.png📷 figure1.jpgThe work captured a total of seven LRGBSHO channels (Figure 1), with varying exposure times for each frame. The broadband signal was captured by ssszzz, while the narrowband signal was captured by me and 小卡子. Following the principle that S and O exposure times are several times H, the remaining shooting time for the three SHO channels was calculated based on the matching signal-to-noise ratio due to different lunar phases. A table was created for better overall planning (Figure 2).The Sii channel has been exposed for nearly 400 hours, which is the longest time. As it outlines the main target outline and a magnificent red diffuse signal in the background, it requires very strong stretching in the later stage. Therefore, the Sii power with sufficient exposure is enormous, which can be said to be the basis of the entire work. At the same time, the supernova remnant signal is also the strongest in the Sii channel (Figure 3)📷 figure3.pngThe O-channel was exposed for 266 hours, and its signal showed a diffuse surface distribution on the main body, while on the supernova remnant at the tail, it showed sharp filamentous patterns. This is the most difficult point of this work, as it is very dim and weak, with only a faint shadow after 20 hours. Therefore, the third single O-channel took nearly 154 hours to obtain the ultimate three-dimensional filamentous details (Figure 4); The SNR near the core has already overflowed, so there is basically no need for noise reduction, and the later consumption experience is very good.The H channel was exposed for 156 hours and was very bright with a high signal-to-noise ratio, perfectly consuming almost all of the lunar time. Due to the limited distribution of supernova remnants in H, no key shots were taken, but the signal-to-noise ratio was still good.The L-channel exposure was 168 hours, and the main reason for the long shooting time was that my friend did not have a SHO filter. However, it was still sufficient to capture the signal-to-noise ratio of the dark clouds in the spatial background. The background dark clouds and Sii, Ha signals interweave, highlighting the visible and invisible layers of the universe and greatly improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the entire image.The RGB channel has a total exposure of 36 hours, providing color supplementation for background dark clouds and sparkling RGB star points.This work was taken from mid July to early December, and we pressed almost all the exposure time of three SQA55 cameras, almost shooting until vomiting. After organizing the shooting folder, I alone have 100 GB of data, which can be described as a ruthless exposure machine.Thank you to the “小卡子” and “ssszzz” who were forcibly tied to the car by me for their participation. This is our most in-depth work since we entered the pit, and your collaboration has made this picture even more dazzling. It has shown me the ocean of signal-to-noise ratio and the potential of small aperture ultra wide mosaic!📷 figure4.jpg
🔭 Lookout for the stoneman by
Lookout for the mysterious Stonemen of Namibia under a breathtaking Milky Way sky. Silhouetted against the vibrant tapestry of stars, they stand as silent witnesses to the wonders of the cosmos. Littered next to the gravel off-roads of Kaokoland in the far reaches of North-West Namibia these men of stone invite the intrepid explorer and astrophotographer to locate them and image them against the dark skies. Certainly a bucket list destination which I hope to visit once again…
vikaschander@rolexhosiery.comLookout for the mysterious Stonemen of Namibia under a breathtaking Milky Way sky. Silhouetted against the vibrant tapestry of stars, they stand as silent witnesses to the wonders of the cosmos. Littered next to the gravel off-roads of Kaokoland in the far reaches of North-West Namibia these men of stone invite the intrepid explorer and astrophotographer to locate them and image them against the dark skies. Certainly a bucket list destination which I hope to visit once again…
🔭 La frattura di Vallis Alpes by
Finalmente una qualita del cielo degna per le riprese in alta risoluzione mi ha permesso di definire la frattura presente nella Vallis Alpes, valle che spezza la catena delle alpi della nostra luna. La valle ha una lunghezza di circa 166 km ed una larghezza che va dai 10 ai 20 km. La frattura ha una larghezza massima stimata in circa 600 metri, quindi diciamo che, pur non avendo utilizzato una barlow sul treno ottico, il mio C14 ha mostrato i denti in termini di risoluzione!!
Giannimelis3@msn.comFinalmente una qualita del cielo degna per le riprese in alta risoluzione mi ha permesso di definire la frattura presente nella Vallis Alpes, valle che spezza la catena delle alpi della nostra luna. La valle ha una lunghezza di circa 166 km ed una larghezza che va dai 10 ai 20 km. La frattura ha una larghezza massima stimata in circa 600 metri, quindi diciamo che, pur non avendo utilizzato una barlow sul treno ottico, il mio C14 ha mostrato i denti in termini di risoluzione!!
🔭 Gyulbudaghian's Nebula and the Loop of Darkness! by
I stumbled upon this dark nebula region (LBN 468) when looking at wide field images of the Iris nebula. One area that caught my eye was what looked like a swirling reflection nebula with some nice color: Gyulbudaghian’s Nebula. There doesn’t seem to be a catalog name for this nebula shown when plate solving and took me some digging to figure out what it was called. It is a very interesting object in that it is changing on a timescale of months to years!I couldn’t find any long focal length images of this target on Astrobin, which is suprising because it is such a cool target! Here is some info about the nebula from wiki:“Gyulbudaghian's Nebula (gyool-boo-DAH-ghee-an) is a reflection nebula in the northern constellation Cepheus, located about 1.5 degrees west of the much brighter reflection nebula NGC 7023. The light illuminating it comes from the T Tauri star PV Cephei. It is known for changing its shape dramatically on a timescale of months to years, as the brightness of PV Cephei changes.In 1986 Scarrott et al. reported that Gyulbudaghian's Nebula is either bipolar or biconical. In addition to the fan shaped nebulousity to the north of PV Cephei, seen by earlier observers, they detected a fainter counterlobe south of the star. From polarization measurements they concluded that the bright north lobe is not reflected light, but rather intrinsic emission. The faint southern counterlobe was later found to be quite red; it is brighter in the near-infrared than in visible light and is dimmed by at least 4 magnitudes of extinction in visible light. The streak, when it is visible, coincides with the eastern edge of the fan-shaped nebula.”Here is a crop of Gyulbudaghian’s nebula:📷 dark neb with jet_extreme crop on neb.jpgI was surprised by all of the colorful brown/yellow dust surrounding LBN 468. I shot 19.6 hours of Hydrogen alpha and there was virtually no Ha in the area except for what appeared to be pushing outwards from PV Cephei. I have not seen this Ha nebulosity in other images, perhaps because it is very faint and small for short focal lengths. Data was captured in the summer of 2025. Processing was a bit difficult due to the colors and gradients from the dust, which cast a greenish hue. Processing was primarily done in Pixinsight with final touches in Photoshop. Here is a NASA Hubble image of the nebula for comparison:
@hyperspaced_imagingI stumbled upon this dark nebula region (LBN 468) when looking at wide field images of the Iris nebula. One area that caught my eye was what looked like a swirling reflection nebula with some nice color: Gyulbudaghian’s Nebula. There doesn’t seem to be a catalog name for this nebula shown when plate solving and took me some digging to figure out what it was called. It is a very interesting object in that it is changing on a timescale of months to years!I couldn’t find any long focal length images of this target on Astrobin, which is suprising because it is such a cool target! Here is some info about the nebula from wiki:“Gyulbudaghian's Nebula (gyool-boo-DAH-ghee-an) is a reflection nebula in the northern constellation Cepheus, located about 1.5 degrees west of the much brighter reflection nebula NGC 7023. The light illuminating it comes from the T Tauri star PV Cephei. It is known for changing its shape dramatically on a timescale of months to years, as the brightness of PV Cephei changes.In 1986 Scarrott et al. reported that Gyulbudaghian's Nebula is either bipolar or biconical. In addition to the fan shaped nebulousity to the north of PV Cephei, seen by earlier observers, they detected a fainter counterlobe south of the star. From polarization measurements they concluded that the bright north lobe is not reflected light, but rather intrinsic emission. The faint southern counterlobe was later found to be quite red; it is brighter in the near-infrared than in visible light and is dimmed by at least 4 magnitudes of extinction in visible light. The streak, when it is visible, coincides with the eastern edge of the fan-shaped nebula.”Here is a crop of Gyulbudaghian’s nebula:📷 dark neb with jet_extreme crop on neb.jpgI was surprised by all of the colorful brown/yellow dust surrounding LBN 468. I shot 19.6 hours of Hydrogen alpha and there was virtually no Ha in the area except for what appeared to be pushing outwards from PV Cephei. I have not seen this Ha nebulosity in other images, perhaps because it is very faint and small for short focal lengths. Data was captured in the summer of 2025. Processing was a bit difficult due to the colors and gradients from the dust, which cast a greenish hue. Processing was primarily done in Pixinsight with final touches in Photoshop. Here is a NASA Hubble image of the nebula for comparison:
🔭 Gum 15: A Star-Carved Nebula in Vela by
This images reveals one of the Vela constellation’s most delicate and chaotic star-forming regions: Gum 15. A glowing H-alpha region, however done in pure LRGB in this rendition, is a cradle of young, massive stars whose intense radiation sculpts the surrounding hydrogen into twisting ridges, hollowed cavities, and feathered filaments. The bright central cavity is shaped by energetic O-type stars, while the surrounding blue-white tendrils trace regions where shock fronts collide with denser clouds. Subtle dust lanes thread the scene, adding contrast and depth to what is, at heart, a cosmic landscape in constant motion. First processed lightly to preserve the natural textures, then refined to highlight the nebula’s sculpted structure, this image is a look into one of the Milky Way’s quietly dramatic star-forming nurseries.Captured from my remote setup at Obstech in Chile:PlaneWave CDK500 Observatory SystemMoravian C3-61000 PRO CameraChroma L, R, G, and B FiltersL: 90x300s, R: 30x600s, G: 30x600s, B: 30x600s (22.5 hours)Processed in PixInsight and Adobe Photoshop
ashastryThis images reveals one of the Vela constellation’s most delicate and chaotic star-forming regions: Gum 15. A glowing H-alpha region, however done in pure LRGB in this rendition, is a cradle of young, massive stars whose intense radiation sculpts the surrounding hydrogen into twisting ridges, hollowed cavities, and feathered filaments. The bright central cavity is shaped by energetic O-type stars, while the surrounding blue-white tendrils trace regions where shock fronts collide with denser clouds. Subtle dust lanes thread the scene, adding contrast and depth to what is, at heart, a cosmic landscape in constant motion. First processed lightly to preserve the natural textures, then refined to highlight the nebula’s sculpted structure, this image is a look into one of the Milky Way’s quietly dramatic star-forming nurseries.Captured from my remote setup at Obstech in Chile:PlaneWave CDK500 Observatory SystemMoravian C3-61000 PRO CameraChroma L, R, G, and B FiltersL: 90x300s, R: 30x600s, G: 30x600s, B: 30x600s (22.5 hours)Processed in PixInsight and Adobe Photoshop
🔭 Baby Eagle Nebula by
Naming this one is a bit more arbitrary than normal since any number of LDN and LBN catalog entries are in the field as well. LBN 777 might be the bettter choice but even that looks wonky in plate solves so I’m going to go with the common name of the Baby Eagle Nebula.Processing:lum:SPFCMGCBXTSXTNXTHTRGB:channel combinationSPFCMGCBXTSPCCSXT (extracting stars)NXTHTLRGB Combination (to add in L)Curves transformationstars:Star Stretch noscriptPS Layers:stars (screen)copy of nebula (high pass, overlay)nebula (ACR)
ac4ltNaming this one is a bit more arbitrary than normal since any number of LDN and LBN catalog entries are in the field as well. LBN 777 might be the bettter choice but even that looks wonky in plate solves so I’m going to go with the common name of the Baby Eagle Nebula.Processing:lum:SPFCMGCBXTSXTNXTHTRGB:channel combinationSPFCMGCBXTSPCCSXT (extracting stars)NXTHTLRGB Combination (to add in L)Curves transformationstars:Star Stretch noscriptPS Layers:stars (screen)copy of nebula (high pass, overlay)nebula (ACR)
🔭 Mercury and its comet-like sodium tail by
A 24 million km long plume of gas is ejected from Mercury's thin atmosphere due to the sun, very much like a comet.This is only visible using a narrowband filter that captures the bright yellow sodium light at 589nm.A tail was predicted in the 1980s, and first discovered in 2001.Multiple observations by NASA's robotic MESSENGER spacecraft that orbited Mercury between 2011 and 2015 revealed more details of this tail.My first attempt was over four years ago, after seeing an image on SpaceWeather by Andrea Alessandrini photographed from the balcony of his house in Veroli, Italy. Thank you Andrea!
bellaviaA 24 million km long plume of gas is ejected from Mercury's thin atmosphere due to the sun, very much like a comet.This is only visible using a narrowband filter that captures the bright yellow sodium light at 589nm.A tail was predicted in the 1980s, and first discovered in 2001.Multiple observations by NASA's robotic MESSENGER spacecraft that orbited Mercury between 2011 and 2015 revealed more details of this tail.My first attempt was over four years ago, after seeing an image on SpaceWeather by Andrea Alessandrini photographed from the balcony of his house in Veroli, Italy. Thank you Andrea!
🔭 A Deep-Sky Dream - The Pazmino's Cluster by
A Deep-Sky Dream - The Pazmino’s Cluster! I was not expecting this when I planned this image. I love shooting star clusters with Ha, but never thought this combination would turn out so dreamy in this region. This cluster really is a beautiful thing to see, with bright and colorful stars and the Ha gives it a nice touch. Regarding the Ha blending, you really need to carefully subtract the continuum so you don’t mute the broadband dust detail that you can clearly see in a form of V shape surrounding the cluster.
astro.midnightA Deep-Sky Dream - The Pazmino’s Cluster! I was not expecting this when I planned this image. I love shooting star clusters with Ha, but never thought this combination would turn out so dreamy in this region. This cluster really is a beautiful thing to see, with bright and colorful stars and the Ha gives it a nice touch. Regarding the Ha blending, you really need to carefully subtract the continuum so you don’t mute the broadband dust detail that you can clearly see in a form of V shape surrounding the cluster.
🔭 A deep look out to the Tadpole Galaxy and far beyond by
The eye-catching object located near the centre of this image is known as the Tadpole Galaxy, which lies at a distance of about 420 million light years in the constellation Draco. The image spans about 25'x27' at a plate scale of 0.47"/pixel, and is the result of nearly 60 hours of integration, split roughly equally between luminance and RGB colour, with 180-sec subs acquired over the course of 14 nights in late May and mid June.It appears that the Tadpole underwent a collision with another galaxy a few hundred million years ago, tell-tale signs of which include the long tidal tail, which spans some 300,000 light years and contains millions of young blue stars, and the distortion of its galactic disk. These giant tidal disruptions give the Tadpole a well-deserved place in Halton Arp's Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, which gives it the designation Arp 188 (the galaxy is often referred to by its entry in the Uppsala General Catalogue of Galaxies, UGC 10214). The Tadpole was the subject of a beautiful image by the Hubble, which apparently resolves the intruder galaxy as seen through the foreground spiral arms; however, of all the reprocessed versions that I've seen (including the original Hubble!), that tiny spiral is best seen, by far, in the version produced by Bill Snyder, which was featured in this APOD post.The image is dominated by the Tadpole and three other sizeable galaxies, and out of curiosity, I used the Interactive Map utility of the DESI Legacy Imaging Survey to identify the others, and then used the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database to look up the redshifts [Tadpole (0.03111); and, from top-to-bottom: LEDA 57109 (0.03033); LEDA 57108 (0.03125); and LEDA 57087 (0.04984)]. This suggested that the Tadpole and the face-on spiral and elliptical above it form a sparse galaxy cluster; so I poked around the web and stumbled upon the WBL catalogue of "poor" galaxy clusters, which does indeed list the three as a cluster (WBL 608-003, 608-002, and 608-001, respectively). This deep image is also littered with hundreds if not thousands of tiny "faint fuzzies", barely-resolved galaxies seen out to many billions of light-years, along with a number of somewhat larger and better-resolved galaxies with a variety of interesting morphologies. Scanning the field gives a sense of the tremendous range of distances that it encompasses; for example, among the many small red galaxies bunched together near the bottom-left corner, at least two galaxy clusters have been identified, one at a distance of about 2.5 billion light years, and the other at a distance of about 3.6 billion light years.
htrottierThe eye-catching object located near the centre of this image is known as the Tadpole Galaxy, which lies at a distance of about 420 million light years in the constellation Draco. The image spans about 25'x27' at a plate scale of 0.47"/pixel, and is the result of nearly 60 hours of integration, split roughly equally between luminance and RGB colour, with 180-sec subs acquired over the course of 14 nights in late May and mid June.It appears that the Tadpole underwent a collision with another galaxy a few hundred million years ago, tell-tale signs of which include the long tidal tail, which spans some 300,000 light years and contains millions of young blue stars, and the distortion of its galactic disk. These giant tidal disruptions give the Tadpole a well-deserved place in Halton Arp's Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, which gives it the designation Arp 188 (the galaxy is often referred to by its entry in the Uppsala General Catalogue of Galaxies, UGC 10214). The Tadpole was the subject of a beautiful image by the Hubble, which apparently resolves the intruder galaxy as seen through the foreground spiral arms; however, of all the reprocessed versions that I've seen (including the original Hubble!), that tiny spiral is best seen, by far, in the version produced by Bill Snyder, which was featured in this APOD post.The image is dominated by the Tadpole and three other sizeable galaxies, and out of curiosity, I used the Interactive Map utility of the DESI Legacy Imaging Survey to identify the others, and then used the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database to look up the redshifts [Tadpole (0.03111); and, from top-to-bottom: LEDA 57109 (0.03033); LEDA 57108 (0.03125); and LEDA 57087 (0.04984)]. This suggested that the Tadpole and the face-on spiral and elliptical above it form a sparse galaxy cluster; so I poked around the web and stumbled upon the WBL catalogue of "poor" galaxy clusters, which does indeed list the three as a cluster (WBL 608-003, 608-002, and 608-001, respectively). This deep image is also littered with hundreds if not thousands of tiny "faint fuzzies", barely-resolved galaxies seen out to many billions of light-years, along with a number of somewhat larger and better-resolved galaxies with a variety of interesting morphologies. Scanning the field gives a sense of the tremendous range of distances that it encompasses; for example, among the many small red galaxies bunched together near the bottom-left corner, at least two galaxy clusters have been identified, one at a distance of about 2.5 billion light years, and the other at a distance of about 3.6 billion light years.
🔭 Cepheus Narrowband Mosaic - 12 Panels, 415 hours by
This one took a while! I started in August 2024 and finished capturing it in November 2025. There’s roughly 32 hours on each of the twelve panels, with 10:10:10 SHO. I shot one to two hours for RGB on most of the panels except where I wanted to blend in some RGB for the vdB objects (and a little on the Lion), where I shot a little more. I also shot a ton of extra O3 on the Squid and Wizard panels. I’m done with this area for now—at least with the FSQ. But I may return to this project in a couple of years and see if I can expand it to get some of the nice things in Auriga. Unfortunately, to get this to upload to Astrobin, I had to downsample it to 75%. My main goal with mosaics is to provide interesting context for some of the objects we’re all so familiar with. In that context, the product is the whole field presented at a proper viewing distance. But in this particular case, the goal was also to go deep enough to capture things in this area you don’t normally see in single dedicated frames, much less large mosaics. That starts with SNR G108.2-0.6 to the east of the Wizard. It continues on to the bow shock created by the runaway star λ Cephei—the blue SNR-looking patch about a third of the way from the Wizard to the Squid. There are also the vdB objects I mentioned above. And finally, I did my best to produce some detail on the half dozen or so small planetary nebulas that appear in the field. So if you’re so inclined, please dive in and have a look around.Edited to add: I’ve spent the last eight months building out a website that employs OpenSeaDragon deep-zoom treatment to images. The site is not ready for an official launch yet, but aside from some possible cosmetic issues, I think all the plumbing is in place. As luck would have it, I just got this image loaded into it last night. So if you want to take a deep-zoom look at the full-resolution image, go here:https://www.casualcosmologist.com/astroimagenew/cepheus-narrowband-mosaic-2024-2025
AccidentalAstronomersThis one took a while! I started in August 2024 and finished capturing it in November 2025. There’s roughly 32 hours on each of the twelve panels, with 10:10:10 SHO. I shot one to two hours for RGB on most of the panels except where I wanted to blend in some RGB for the vdB objects (and a little on the Lion), where I shot a little more. I also shot a ton of extra O3 on the Squid and Wizard panels. I’m done with this area for now—at least with the FSQ. But I may return to this project in a couple of years and see if I can expand it to get some of the nice things in Auriga. Unfortunately, to get this to upload to Astrobin, I had to downsample it to 75%. My main goal with mosaics is to provide interesting context for some of the objects we’re all so familiar with. In that context, the product is the whole field presented at a proper viewing distance. But in this particular case, the goal was also to go deep enough to capture things in this area you don’t normally see in single dedicated frames, much less large mosaics. That starts with SNR G108.2-0.6 to the east of the Wizard. It continues on to the bow shock created by the runaway star λ Cephei—the blue SNR-looking patch about a third of the way from the Wizard to the Squid. There are also the vdB objects I mentioned above. And finally, I did my best to produce some detail on the half dozen or so small planetary nebulas that appear in the field. So if you’re so inclined, please dive in and have a look around.Edited to add: I’ve spent the last eight months building out a website that employs OpenSeaDragon deep-zoom treatment to images. The site is not ready for an official launch yet, but aside from some possible cosmetic issues, I think all the plumbing is in place. As luck would have it, I just got this image loaded into it last night. So if you want to take a deep-zoom look at the full-resolution image, go here:https://www.casualcosmologist.com/astroimagenew/cepheus-narrowband-mosaic-2024-2025
🔭 Fornax Dwarf (UGC 10093) wide field by
The Fornax dwarf galaxy, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, contains six globular clusters – the brightest, NGC 1049, was discovered even before the galaxy itself. The galaxy is receding from the Milky Way at 53 kilometres per second.Presumably, the outskirts of the galaxy extend beyond the field of view, meaning that it would be over 1° in size along its longitudinal axis. I also find it striking that there is a clearly visible difference in star density between the inner and outer regions.Object type: Dwarf Galaxy (dE2)Size: at least 55‘ x 44‘Constellation: FornaxDate: 2025-07-24+29+30+31 + 08-01+02+03+17+18+19+20+23+24Exposure time: 331 x 295 sExposure time total: 27 h 07 minOliver Schneider, Faried Abu-Salih and I work together as "DSI (Deep Sky Imaging) Team" at our observatory at the Rooisand Desert Ranch, Namibia.
Markus_BlauensteinerThe Fornax dwarf galaxy, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, contains six globular clusters – the brightest, NGC 1049, was discovered even before the galaxy itself. The galaxy is receding from the Milky Way at 53 kilometres per second.Presumably, the outskirts of the galaxy extend beyond the field of view, meaning that it would be over 1° in size along its longitudinal axis. I also find it striking that there is a clearly visible difference in star density between the inner and outer regions.Object type: Dwarf Galaxy (dE2)Size: at least 55‘ x 44‘Constellation: FornaxDate: 2025-07-24+29+30+31 + 08-01+02+03+17+18+19+20+23+24Exposure time: 331 x 295 sExposure time total: 27 h 07 minOliver Schneider, Faried Abu-Salih and I work together as "DSI (Deep Sky Imaging) Team" at our observatory at the Rooisand Desert Ranch, Namibia.
🔭 [TEAM OMICRON] NGC 205 in the outskirts of the Andromeda Galaxy by
Hi friends,This autumn, we improved our image of NGC 205 captured by Serge Brunier with the T1000. The color frames still had room for improvement...As a result, I deleted the previous version since this one is rendered so much better. The SPCC calibration with SIRIL enabled a more accurate reproduction of the contrast between M31 and NGC 205. The different stellar populations are now much easier to see.There are also dozens of globular clusters in this image, confirmed and globulars candidates displayed when hovering the mouse. 99% of the bright points do not belong to our own galaxy.Enjoy the journey.JF
jeffbaxHi friends,This autumn, we improved our image of NGC 205 captured by Serge Brunier with the T1000. The color frames still had room for improvement...As a result, I deleted the previous version since this one is rendered so much better. The SPCC calibration with SIRIL enabled a more accurate reproduction of the contrast between M31 and NGC 205. The different stellar populations are now much easier to see.There are also dozens of globular clusters in this image, confirmed and globulars candidates displayed when hovering the mouse. 99% of the bright points do not belong to our own galaxy.Enjoy the journey.JF
🔭 Blue Sprites in the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud (SNR G013.3-01.3) by
This SNR’s oxygen jets form blue "sprites" in the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud (M24). My team member framed this up beautifully within LDN336, B93, and NGC6603. We started this project late in the summer, but didn’t have enough data to finish. We made a second effort to try to acquire data in the fall, even though the target was low, but we had a very large rejection rate. Blinking the recent subs was like looking at a fun hour mirror. I’d love to revisit next year to get more Oiii. It was challenging to balance the gorgeous star density with the nebulosity.
ktastroThis SNR’s oxygen jets form blue "sprites" in the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud (M24). My team member framed this up beautifully within LDN336, B93, and NGC6603. We started this project late in the summer, but didn’t have enough data to finish. We made a second effort to try to acquire data in the fall, even though the target was low, but we had a very large rejection rate. Blinking the recent subs was like looking at a fun hour mirror. I’d love to revisit next year to get more Oiii. It was challenging to balance the gorgeous star density with the nebulosity.
🔭 NGC 2170 - The Angel Nebula - LRGB - 2025 by
My 2025 take on the beautiful Angel reflection nebula in Monoceros
SliverSnakeMy 2025 take on the beautiful Angel reflection nebula in Monoceros
🔭 Volcanic Crater and Geminid Meteor Shower by
Please find my capture of the Geminid meteor shower over Al Wahbah Crater in Saudi Arabia which is the largest volcanic crater in the Middle East with a diameter of ~1.25 miles and 820 deep.
SpastroofPlease find my capture of the Geminid meteor shower over Al Wahbah Crater in Saudi Arabia which is the largest volcanic crater in the Middle East with a diameter of ~1.25 miles and 820 deep.