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All photographs taken from my garden in South Yorkshire and are comprised of several hundred stacked images and processed in Stella Studio and Affinity software.
Relative positions of some of the Galaxies and Clusters
M31 - Andromeda Galaxy
The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is the nearest major spiral galaxy to the Milky Way, located approximately 2.5 million light-years away in the Andromeda constellation. As the brightest external galaxy, it is visible to the naked eye, containing roughly 1 trillion stars and spanning about 220,000 light-years, making it larger than our own galaxy .
At 2-o-clock is M110, a companion Galaxy to Andromeda.
M81 - Bodes Galaxy & M82 - Cigar Galaxy
Bode's Galaxy is one of the brightest galaxies in the night sky and is located about 11.5 million lightyears from Earth. Bode's Galaxy can even be seen through a pair of binoculars, appearing as a fuzzy patch along side its companion, the Cigar Galaxy.The Cigar Galaxy, or M82, is known as the Cigar because it has an elongated shape, as seen from Earth, and perhaps also because of its high levels of star formation. It's a 'starbust' galaxy, and this burst of star birth is a result of gravitational interactions with Bode's Galaxy.The Cigar Galaxy really is near to Bode's Galaxy: it's not a trick of perspective. They're both about 12 million lightyears from Earth.
M81 - Bodes Galaxy & M82 - Cigar Galaxy Revisited
Tonight's effort is another attempt at M81 Bode's Galaxy and it's companion M82, the Cigar Galaxy. The longer exposure time has also just picked out 3 additional galaxies, which can be seen in the wider field picture.
Bodes Galaxy, Cigar Galaxy & Companions
The distances are mind blowing!!
Bode's Galaxy, is a grand design spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away. The Cigar Galaxy, is a starburst galaxy also approximately 12 million light-years away.
NGC 3077 is a small elliptical galaxy, it shows wispy edges and scattered dust clouds, It is 12.8 million light-years away.
NGC 2959 is an intermediate spiral galaxy located 200–205 million light-years away.
NGC 2961 is a small, faint, intermediate spiral galaxy located approximately 221 million light-years away.
M42 - Orion Nebula & M43 The Running Man Nebula
The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a diffuse nebula in the Milky Way situated south of Orion's Belt in the constellation of Orion and is known as the middle "star" in the "sword" of Orion. It is one of the brightest nebulae and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. It is 1,267 light-years away from Earth. The nebula has revealed much about the process of how stars and planetary systems are formed from collapsing clouds of gas and dust.
Above Orion Nebula and separated by only a dark lane of dust is, M43, the Running Man Nebula recognized as a distinct nebula by the French astronomer Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan in 1731. A massive star is illuminating M43 and sculpting its landscape of dust and gas with its radiation.
M97 - Owl Nebula and M108 - Surfboard Galaxy
Messier 97 and Messier 108 were both discovered in February 1781 by Pierre Méchain. He first spotted the small, dim, and unimpressive M97 Planetary Nebula, and just three days later saw M108 through his telescope, just near the Owl. Messier 108 is seen almost edge-on, giving it the look of a surfboard. It is classified as a barred spiral galaxy with loose arms. Distance: 2,500 light-years & 46 million light-years away
M97 - Owl Nebula
Messier 97 was discovered by Pierre Méchain in February 1781 when he first spotted the small, dim, and unimpressive M97 Planetary Nebula
M64 - The Black Eye Galaxy
M64 - The Black Eye Galaxy
The Black Eye Galaxy (also called Evil Eye Galaxy and designated Messier 64, NGC 4826) is a spiral galaxy 17 million light-years away in the northern constellation of Coma Berenices. It was discovered by Edward Pigott in March 1779, and independently by Charles Messier the next year. A dark band of absorbing dust partially in front of its bright nucleus gave rise to its nicknames of the "Black Eye", "Evil Eye".
M44 - Beehive Cluster
The Beehive Cluster (also known as Praesepe, M44, NGC 2632, or Cr 189) is an open cluster in the constellation Cancer. One of the nearest open clusters to Earth, it contains a larger population of stars than other nearby bright open clusters holding around 1,000 stars. The distance to M44 is between 520–610 light years away
M101- The Pinwheel Galaxy
The Pinwheel Galaxy (also known as Messier 101, M101 or NGC 5457) is a face-on, counter-clockwise intermediate spiral galaxy located 21 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781and was communicated that year to Charles Messier, who verified its position for inclusion in the Messier Catalogue as one of its final entries
M63 - Sunflower Galaxy & La Superba
Messier 63 or M63, also known as NGC 5055 or the Sunflower Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy in the northern constellation of Canes Venatici with approximately 400 billion stars. First discovered by the Pierre Méchain, then later verified by Charles Messier on 14 June 1779. In the mid-19th century, astronomer Lord Rosse identified spiral structures within the galaxy, making this one of the first galaxies in which such structure was identified.
La Superba is a strikingly red giant star in the constellation Canes Venatici. It is faintly visible to the naked eye, and the red colour is very obvious in binoculars.
This picture is made up of 485 stacked images, taken over 4hrs from my garden
M45 - Pleiades Cluster (The Seven Sisters)
The Pleiades (Messier 45) is a bright, young, open star cluster located about 440 light-years away in the constellation Taurus. Often called "The Seven Sisters," it features hot blue stars visible to the naked eye as a small, dipper-shaped group, with over 1,000 stars total.
M51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy & M51b companion
M51 (the Whirlpool Galaxy) and M51b are a pair of interacting galaxies located approximately 23–31 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici. M51 is a grand-design spiral, while M51b is a smaller companion, with their ongoing collision fueling star formation and distorting their shapes.
431 stacked images from my garden.
M51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy & M51b companion
NGC 5195 (also known as Messier 51b or M51b) is a dwarf galaxy that is interacting with the Whirlpool Galaxy (also known as M51a or NGC 5194). Both galaxies are located approximately 25 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici. Together, the two galaxies are one of the most famous interacting galaxy pairs.
M13 - The Hercules Great Globular Cluster and others
Messier 13 (M13), also known as the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, is one of the brightest and most famous globular star clusters in the northern sky. Located in the constellation Hercules, it is a densely packed spherical collection of hundreds of thousands of stars. M13 contains between 300,000 and 500,000 stars
It is approximately 22,000 to 25,000 light-years away from Earth and spans about 145 to 160 light-years in diameter.
M13 - The Hercules Great Globular Cluster and others
The red star to the left is the Red Dwarf Star, HD 150998, and the spiral galaxy
NGC 6207 can just be seen above the red star. NGC 6207 is approximately 30 millionight years away.
As M13 is very bright this picture is made up of only 60 stacked images taken from my garden
IC 2574 - Coddington's Nebula
IC 2574, also known as Coddington's Nebula, is a dwarf spiral galaxy discovered by American astronomer Edwin Foster Coddington in 1898. Located in Ursa Major constellation. It is believed that 90% of its mass is in the form of dark matter, which makes it very difficult to image, due to its low luminosity.
IC 2574 - Coddington's Nebula
Despite its historical name, Coddington's Nebula is not a nebula, but a dwarf galaxy located approximately 12 to 13 million light-years away from Earth.
Due to cloud cover, this picture has only 9hrs of imaging, I'll need to do about 20hrs and stack them together to get a half decent image of this difficult target. I will try to do this over the coming weeks.
M92 Globular Cluster in Hercules Constellatio
100% clouded over tonight so no meteor shower for me.
I did manage to get this picture of M92 Cluster before the clouds rolled in.
Only 65 minutes of exposure so I'll be able to add more to the stack next time we get clear skies.
M92 Globular Cluster in Hercules Constellatio
A close neighbour to M15, The Great Hercules cluster, M92 is located 27,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Hercules, close to the more well known Great Hercules Cluster, M92 globular cluster — a ball of stars that orbits our galaxy’s core like a satellite — was first discovered by the German astronomer Johann Elert Bode in 1777.
With an apparent magnitude of 6.3, M92 is one of the brightest globular clusters in the Milky Way and is visible to the unaided eye under good observing conditions from a dark-sky site
Messier 3 Globular Cluster
M3 (in Canes Venatici) is a globular cluster located 33.9 thousand light year away,
M3 is in the "Hunting Dogs" (Canes Venatici), while M92 is in the "Hercules" constellation.
Each image comprised of 75 stacked photos.
Messier 3 Globular Cluster
Messier 3 (M3) and Messier 92 (M92) are two of the brightest and oldest globular clusters in the Milky Way, often observed by astronomers in the northern hemisphere.
M3 (in Canes Venatici) is a globular cluster located 33.9 thousand light year away, it is larger than M92, containing ~500,000 stars, while M92 (in Hercules) is highly concentrated and located 27,000 light-years away.
M3 is slightly brighter than M92. M92 has a tighter, more compressed core than M13.
Both are ancient, but M92 is slightly older (approx. 14 billion years) than M3 (approx. 11.4 billion years).
Each image comprised of 75 stacked photos.
The Sun
As it was 100% cloud last night, something a bit different today. The Sun.
It's not very active today but you can still clearly see a number of active sunspots on the surface.
Sunspots
As it was 100% cloud last night, something a bit different today. The Sun.
It's not very active today but you can still clearly see a number of active sunspots on the surface.
Messier 94 Croc's Eye Galaxy
Messier 94 or Croc's Eye Galaxy is a spiral galaxy in the mid-northern constellation Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781and catalogued by Charles Messier two days later. Although some references describe M94 as a barred spiral galaxy, the "bar" structure appears to be more oval-shaped.The galaxy has two ring structures and an outer cloud ring, which is just visible in the photo.
M94 is located 16 million light-years away
Messier 94 Croc's Eye Galaxy
Messier 94 or Croc's Eye Galaxy is a spiral galaxy in the mid-northern constellation Canes Venatici. M94 is located 16 million light-years away
57% Waxing Gibbous Moon showing some of the mineral colouring
Mineral Flower Moon
Trying various exposures on tonight's Flower Moon
C36 the Koi Fish Galaxy
294 stacked images.
Caldwell 36 (NGC 4559), also known as the "Koi Fish Galaxy" for its blue, star-forming regions, is a spiral galaxy in the Coma Berenices constellation, approximately 30 million light-years away.
Discovered by William Herschel in 1785. This weakly barred spiral galaxy is characterized by active, bright blue star-forming regions and a complex structure with dust lanes and a distinct, elongated appearance.
The Leo Triplet of Galaxies
NGC 3628, also known as the Hamburger Galaxy or Sarah's Galaxy, is an unbarred spiral galaxy about 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1784. It has an approximately 300,000 light-years long tidal tail. Along with M65 and M66, NGC 3628 forms the Leo Triplet, a small group of galaxies. Its most conspicuous feature is the broad and obscuring band of dust located along the outer edge of its spiral arms, effectively transecting the galaxy to the view from Earth.
The bright blue star in the center is 73 Leonis (HD98388). It is about 386 light years away. It is 26% cooler than our Sun's, but it’s 24 times the Sun's diameter. Its luminosity is 168 times that of our Sun.
The Leo Triplet of Galaxies
Messier 65 (also known as NGC 3623) is an intermediate spiral galaxy about 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo, within its highly equatorial southern half. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1780.
Messier 66 or M66, also known as NGC 3627, is an intermediate spiral galaxy located around 31 million light years from Earth in the equatorial half of the Leo constellation. It was discovered by Charles Messier on 1 March 1780, who described it as "very long and very faint.
The image is 300 stacked photos from my garden
M57 The Ring Nebula
Messier 57, known as the Ring Nebula, is about 2,000 light-years away in the constellation Lyra. Discovered by the French astronomer Antoine Darquier de Pellepoix in 1779.
The deep blue colour in the center is helium, the light blue colour of the inner ring is the glow of hydrogen and oxygen, and the reddish color of the outer ring is from nitrogen and sulfur.
The bright red Star is HD175577.
There are only 267 stacked images in this photo due to the relatively short night, which at this time of year never goes truly dark.
After weeks of overnight clouds we finally got a few clear hours.
The North America Nebula and Pelican Nebula
The North America Nebula (NGC 7000 or Caldwell 20) is a massive cosmic cloud of interstellar gas located approximately 1,700 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Cygnus.
It is an emission nebula, meaning its hydrogen gas is ionized by the intense radiation of a nearby hot star, causing it to glow with a distinct red hue in photographs
The nebula gets its name from its resemblance to the North American continent. A prominent dark lane of dust absorbs the background light, perfectly carving out the shape of the "Gulf of Mexico" and the "Atlantic Coast".
Representing the region of the "Mexico and Central America" coastline, is a dense, star-forming region. It spans about 20 light-years and showcases a sharp ridge of hot gas and dust.
The North America Nebula is part of the same massive interstellar cloud as the neighbouring Pelican Nebula. They only appear separated from our perspective due to the dark dust clouds blocking the light between them.
The nebula is enormous, spanning roughly 100 light-years across. In the night sky, its total apparent size covers an area upto ten times the size of a full moon.
160 stacked images taken over 3 hours.
The Elephant's Trunk Nebula
The Elephant's Trunk Nebula (IC 1396A) is a dense, elongated concentration of interstellar gas and dust located approximately 2,400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cepheus. It is a prominent star-forming region embedded within a much larger, sprawling ionized gas complex known as IC 1396.
The "trunk" structure itself is roughly 20 light-years long, while the IC 1396 emission nebula spans over 100 light-years across (equivalent to six full moons in the night sky).
The nebula's silhouette and bright rim are formed by ultraviolet radiation from HD 206267, a massive, ultra-bright multiple star system situated just to the east.
Because the structure consists of glowing ionized hydrogen, oxygen, and sulphur, it is typically captured from Earth using specialized narrowband filters.
4 hours of imaging from my garden.
The Dumbbell Nebula (also known as the Apple Core Nebula, Messier 27) is a planetary nebula (nebulosity surrounding a white dwarf) in the constellation Vulpecula, at a distance of about 1360 light-years.
It was the first such nebula to be discovered, by Charles Messier in 1764. At its brightness of visual magnitude 7.5 and diameter of about 8 arcminutes, it is easily visible in binoculars and is a popular observing target in amateur telescopes.
C27, also known as the Crescent Nebula, is a stunning, bubble-like emission nebula located about 5,000 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus.
It was formed by powerful, high-speed stellar winds from a massive, dying star colliding with gas it ejected long ago.
The result of the collision is a shell and two shock waves, one moving outward and one moving inward. The inward moving shock wave heats the stellar wind to X-ray-emitting temperatures.
Photo composed of 260 stacked images from my garden
The Cygnus Loop is a massive, expanding supernova remnant located about 1,470 to 2,400 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. It is the glowing wreckage of a massive star that exploded between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago.
The brightest, most visually striking visible arcs of the Cygnus Loop are collectively known as the Veil Nebula.
The brightest, most visually striking visible arcs of the Cygnus Loop are collectively known as the Veil Nebula. Prominent sections include:
The Eastern Veil (NGC 6992 / NGC 6995): A spectacular, glowing curtain of gas tracing the edge of the shockwave.
The Western Veil (NGC 6960): Sometimes called the "Witch's Broom Nebula," which visually sweeps past the foreground star 52 Cygni.
Pickering's Triangle: A fainter, triangular-shaped filament of gas that bridges the gap between the Eastern and Western sections.
Due to its massive size this image is composed of a mosaic of 300 photos stitched together and stacked to create the final image.
The Fireworks Galaxy, is a face-on intermediate spiral galaxy with a small bright nucleus, whose location in the sky straddles the boundary between the northern constellations of Cepheus and Cygnus. Its distance from Earth is about 25.2 million light-years.
The galaxy was discovered by William Herschel on 9 September 1798. It is heavily obscured by interstellar matter due to its location close to the galactic plane of the Milky Way.
Top right in the wider image is NGC 6939,The Ghost Bush Cluster , a rich, ancient open star cluster located approximately 5,000 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus. It gets its spooky nickname from its ethereal appearance. Discovered in 1798 by William Herschel, it is estimated to be over a billion years old and is a popular, stunning astrophotography target often paired with the nearby Fireworks Galaxy.
The Pacman Nebula (NGC 281) is a glowing cloud of gas and dust located about 9,200 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia. It gets its nickname from its distinct, crescent-like appearance and dark dust lane, which gives it the illusion of the classic 1980s arcade character about to "take a bite" out of space.
The nebula is an active stellar nursery surrounding a young, central star cluster known as IC 1590. The intense radiation from these massive hot stars powers the glowing hydrogen gas and shapes the surrounding dust.
The nebula contains several thick, dark patches of cosmic dust called Bok globules. These are dense pockets of material that are actively collapsing to form brand new stars.
Discovered by astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard in 1883, the Pacman Nebula spans about 48 light-years across. Because it is a faint object, stargazers and astrophotographers typically require a telescope with a specialized narrowband filter—such as Hydrogen-alpha—to capture its intricate details and combat light pollution.
The Iris Nebula or C4 is a prominent, bright reflection nebula located approximately 1,300 light-years away from Earth in the northern constellation of Cepheus. Spanning roughly six light-years across, it earns its popular name from its striking, symmetrical visual resemblance to a blue cosmic flower blossoming in deep space.
Unlike emission nebulae that glow with their own light, the Iris is a massive cloud of interstellar gas and dust that shines by scattering the light of a nearby star.The primary light source is HD 200775, a massive, hot, young star about ten times the mass of our Sun.
The nebula's signature blue color happens because its fine dust grains scatter blue light much more efficiently than red light.
The nebula was discovered in 1794 by Sir William Herschel.
The Wizard Nebula (NGC 7380) is a young open star cluster embedded within a glowing emission nebula. Located approximately 7,200 light-years from Earth in the northern circumpolar constellation of Cepheus, it lies within the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way.
The surrounding interstellar gas and dust cosmic clouds are sculpted by stellar winds to resemble a medieval sorcerer wearing a pointed hat and cloak.
The cluster was discovered by German-born British astronomer Caroline Herschel in 1787. Her brother, William Herschel, subsequently added it to his catalog.
The entire active star-forming complex spans roughly 110 light-years across.
It is an incredibly young cosmic structure, with an estimated age of only 4 to 5 million years.
The Bubble Nebula (cataloged as NGC 7635, or Caldwell 11, is an emission nebula located approximately 7,100 to 8,000 light-years away from Earth. Positioned in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia, this cosmic phenomenon spans roughly 7 light-years across.
Its defining feature is a nearly perfect, glowing sphere that mimics a delicate soap bubble floating in the vacuum of deep space.
The central star is roughly 44 times more massive than our Sun. The star produces intense stellar winds blowing at over 4 million miles per hour.
This high-velocity gas expands outward, pushing the surrounding cold, dense interstellar gas and dust into a hollow, expanding shell.
The nebula was first officially recorded by British astronomer William Herschel in November 1787.The central star fueling the nebula is estimated to be roughly 4 million years old.
The Bubble Nebula is located close to the bright open star cluster Messier 52 a rich and bright open star cluster located in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia. Discovered by French astronomer Charles Messier on September 7, 1774, it is a highly popular target for amateur astronomers because it is packed with young stars and easy to find with basic equipment.
In the wider field picture can also be seen the Northern Lagoon Nebula, (NGC 7538) , an active star-forming emission nebula and open cluster located approximately 9,100 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Cepheus. Positioned within the Perseus Spiral Arm of the Milky Way, it serves as a massive cosmic nursery where interstellar gas and dust collapse to birth new generations of stars.
Barnard 144, often referred to as the "Fish on a Platter" nebula, is a vast dark nebula located in the constellation Cygnus. It sits in the dense Cygnus Star Cloud and consists of cold dust and gas that obscure background starlight, creating a dark silhouette against the Milky Way.
Located approximately 6,000 light-years away, this cold cloud of interstellar dust doesn't glow; instead, it creates a silhouette against the dense star fields of the Milky Way.
In the same area, you can see the glowing red hydrogen gas of the Tulip Nebula (Sh2-101) and the Cygnus X-1 a black hole candidate.
Over 4hours of imaging from my garden was required to create this photo
The Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31) is finally returning to our night skies. It is the closest major spiral galaxy to the Milky Way, located about 2.5 million light-years away. 2hrs 45minutes of imaging were required to create this photo.
When I compare this image with the photo that I took in January, I'm surprised how much my knowledge and technique has improved in just 6 months.
Spanning approximately 220,000 light-years across, it contains roughly 1 trillion stars and is visible to the naked eye as a faint smudge in the night sky.
The photo also shows a number of other galaxies, identified in the annotated image.
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