The Pelican Nebula

The Pelican Nebula is an emission nebula whose outlines somewhat resemble the namesake bird. The nebula’s appearance is defined by dark dust clouds that outline the pelican’s long bill and eye, and by bright clouds of ionized gas that form the curved shape of the pelican’s head and neck. The pelican’s body and wing are formed by a complex mixture of bright nebulosity intermixed with dark dust clouds, as is the pouch hanging down from the bill.

The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula

The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula (IC 1396A) is a twisted sinuous structure of interstellar gas and dust that we see back-lit and ionized by intense radiation coming from a nearby massive star. Red light from ionized hydrogen makes it stand out amid the other streams and swirls of dark nebulae.

The Iris Nebula

The Iris Nebula NGC 7023 looks like a celestial blossom. It is a bright reflection nebula whose trademark glowing blue color results from the scattered light of its central star.

The Cocoon Nebula

The Cocoon Nebula, IC 5146, is a cluster of stars involved in a bright emission/reflection nebula riddled by filaments of dark nebula.

The Orion Nebula and the Running Man

Here’s a fresh look at the wonderful Orion Nebula complex (M42 and M43) and the neighboring Running Man. Although I have shown both before, this new view shows how they are related to each other. This is also a longer exposure than before and has been processed to reveal additional subtle detail.

A facelift for our second anniversary

It has been two years since I started this blog. My first post (click here to see it) showed the famous Orion Nebula. It seemed to be about time for a little facelift.

The Horsehead and Flame - the big picture

Here’s a fresh view showing both the Horsehead Nebula and the Flame Nebula, two celestial showpieces that are located quite close to each other in the constellation Orion. This past week we had a night with exceptionally clear and transparent skies. I was able to image a couple of new objects as well as take a fresh look at some old favorites. Among my old favorites, I can’t resist reshowing the Horsehead and the Flame.

The Veil Nebula - the big picture

The entire Veil Nebula (also known as the Cygnus Loop) is BIG - it covers over five times the size of the full Moon. My previous three posts were recent images of the three brightest parts of the complex. Here I have mosaicked together five separate older images so you can see the individual parts in relation to each other.