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.

More Veil Nebula - Pickering’s Triangle

The Veil Nebula is the wispy wreckage of a supernova that exploded some eight thousand years ago. Here we see Pickering’s Triangle, yet another portion of the Veil complex, which is located between the east and west portions that we saw previously.

The Western Veil Nebula

The large and extensive Veil Nebula deserves another look. Here we see another separate portion, the western part of the nebula.

The Eastern Veil Nebula

The Veil Nebula is a portion of the wispy wreckage of a supernova that exploded some eight thousand years ago. Here we see the eastern portion.

The Crescent Nebula

Finally, a new object worth sharing: The Crescent Nebula is a faint, loop-shaped nebula forming a partial squashed circle.