M3
This ball of 500,000 stars is approximately 100 light years across. From a galactic perspective, this cluster is passing over our heads (galactic north) and is one of the first bright clusters to become available before the others closer to the galactic center. Some people believe that this...
M63 (Sunflower Galaxy)
M63, commonly known as the Sunflower Galaxy, belongs to the same group of galaxies as M51. It is located about 35 million light-years away from us. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
M42: The Orion Nebula Wide
The most famous of all nebulae. Galileo missed this object entirely, but William Herschel had the eerie foresight to call it "the chaotic material of future suns."It's a star forming region all right, one of the closest at a mere 1600 lightyears. There is enough material here for 10,000 stars...
M6
This object, sometimes known as the Butterfly Cluster, is the first open cluster in Messier�s catalogue. At 1600 lightyears away, it is a beautiful binocular object. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
M7
Messier 7, or the Ptolmey Cluster, can easily be found in the constellation Scorpius with the naked eye under dark skies. It makes a great binocular and telescope object. Open clusters that we view are generally much closer than globular clusters. Rather than being tens of thousands of...
M81 and M82
M81 and M82 can be found near the Big Dipper. They are around 12 million light years away. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
M77
M77 is a tremendous galaxy in the constellation of Cetus. It is over 170,000 light years across (the largest Messier galaxy) and over 49 million light years away. In this image you can see the very bright center and if you dim the lights in the room you can just make out the very dim outer...
M8: Lagoon Nebula Wide
M8, the Lagoon Nebula, is a tremendous star forming region in our galaxy. Under dark skies it is easily seen with the unaided eye just above the "teapot" (spout) asterism of Sagittarius. A view through a small telescope (with the eye) shows the milky glow of nebulosity pervades the entire...
M76 (Little Dumbbell)
M76 is a wonderful nebula to observe visually through the 20" telescope on a dark night. It displays two distinct features - the bright inner rectangle and very dim outer loops. Like most nebulae of this type, these loops of material (the rectangular part is a torus viewed edgewise) are cast...
M87
In the heart of the Virgo cluster of galaxies lies a giant- and in its heart lies a monster. This elliptical galaxy is larger than our galaxy as it is 120,000 light years in diameter. However, since it is spherical in volume astronomers estimate that this ball of stars weighs in at over 2...
M96
M96 is the brightest member of the "Leo I" group of galaxies. This group (specifically M96) is 38 million light years away. If the outermost spiral arms are taken into account, the galaxy spans 100,000 light years in diameter. This image also contains many smaller galaxies (some of which may be...
M90
M90 is one of the few large spiral galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. This galaxy seems similar to M64 in that the outer arms are very smooth and devoid of star formation. In fact, there are few bright pink HII regions which might indicate any star birth in this galaxy. At a distance of 60 million...
NGC 1255
Can something 73 million light years away be useful to astronomers? In the case of NGC 1255, shown here, the answer is decidedly yes. NGC 1255 is a compact galaxy with lots of star formation taking place. The relationship between its arms and the barred nucleus hint at what processes might...
PK205+14.1: The Medusa Nebula
The Medusa Nebula is a very ancient planetary nebula in the constellation of Gemini. Note that the inner bubble still has hints of blue and green structure, indicating that the central star (the slightly bluish one to the right of center) is still hot and makes the gas fluoresce. This image was...
McNeilʼs Nebula
Only recently discovered by amateur astronomer Julian W. McNeil II, this peculiar looking object is currently classified as a cometary-type reflection nebula. The newborn nebula was found while processing a wide field image of the M78 region which was taken from McNeil's suburban backyard using...
M99
M99 is one of many spiral galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, resides on the outskirts of this collection of many thousand galaxies. Unlike our own galaxy, M99 is disturbed due to interactions with other massive galaxies nearby (not shown). It almost looks as if the...
M64 (The Black Eye Galaxy)
The Black Eye Galaxy in Coma Berenices was discovered by Bode in April 1779. M64 is famous for its conspicuous dark structure which is a prominent dust feature obscuring the stars behind. The main spiral pattern contains a middle aged stellar population. This dust feature is easily visible with...
NGC 157
This galaxy has been compared to the Superman logo before, due to its distinctive shape. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 1499: The California Nebula
This "stately" nebula resides some 1000 light years away towards the outer (Orion) arm of our galaxy. The glowing portion of the nebula is around 100 light years in extent. However, this entire region is filled with galactic gas from which many massive and luminous stars have formed. This...
NGC 1337
NGC 1337 is estimated to be around 55 million light years away. Note the dim pink glows of a handful of HII regions in the spiral arms of the galaxy. If viewed face-on, instead of the inclined view we are presented, NGC 1337 might look very much like NGC 1042. (This galaxy is at about the same...
NGC 2266
NGC 2266 is a relatively "old" star cluster comprising stars of around 1 billion years in age. Many of its members are quite evolved, having reached the red giant stage of their lives. Our own sun will become a red giant when it is around 10 billion years old. This means that many of the...
Cone Nebula
The Cone Nebula is located at the southern end of star cluster NGC 2264, in Monoceros. It is a column of dark dust, six lightyears long, near some of the newly-formed hot blue stars of the cluster. This object parallels the dust pillars seen in the Eagle Nebula, where regions of thick dust and...
NGC 1300
NGC 1300 is often touted as being the most spectacular example of a barred spiral galaxy- and for good reason, the bar in the central portion of this galaxy is larger than the diameter of our own galaxy at an incredible length of 150,000 light years across. This galaxy is approximately 75...
M24, NGC 6590, and IC1284:The Sagittarius Star Cloud
An image like this shows that our galaxy is always "partly cloudy." Not unlike Earthly clouds that block parts of the sky (say on a starry night), tremendous clouds of gas and dust obscure the things that are beyond them. However, breaks in these galactic clouds can also be seen, even towards...
M33 (Pinwheel)
M33 is a very nearby spiral galaxy at a distance of 3 million light years away. It is close enough that under dark skies it can easily be seen in binoculars. In addition, its nearness makes the galaxy appear large in angular size on the night sky. This image was taken as part of Advanced...
M27: The Dumbell Nebula
Like the others of its type, M27 is a bubble of gas that has been ejected by a star at the end if its life. The core of the star still remains in the center (the slightly blue-ish star in the center above the small triangle of white stars) and makes this gas bubble glow. In fact the light...
Crab Nebula
Like few other celestial objects, the Crab nebula displays the death of a star in all of its beauty. Both colorful and convoluted filaments of gas expand violently away from the origin of the explosion. The cataclysmic end for this star was observed in 1054 AD by any of humanity that cared to...
Crab Nebula
Like few other celestial objects, the Crab nebula displays the death of a star in all of its beauty. Both colorful and convoluted filaments of gas expand violently away from the origin of the explosion. The cataclysmic end for this star was observed in 1054 AD by any of humanity that cared to...
NGC 3294
NGC 3294 is a tightly coiled galaxy around 70 million light years away. This galaxy has a small bar in its heart and it is one of many galaxies recently surveyed by astronomers. In the survey, astronomers looked at over 900 different galaxies (NGC 3294 shown here was one) and tried to determine...
NGC 2183 and NGC 2185
This cloud of dust resides on the edge of the outer spiral arm of our galaxy. Stars that have formed inside illuminate and scatter bluish light between these dusty veils. Near the edges of the cloud, intergalactic space can be glimpsed beyond the cloud's edge. This image was taken as part of...
NGC 2207
Quite a bit of commotion is happening 114 million light years away with these two galaxies! The smaller of the two galaxies is approximately the same size as our own Milky Way galaxy. These galaxies are passing very near to one another so that their mutual gravitation influence distorts the...
NGC 2158
This is quite an old open cluster, aged at about one billion years. It is located about 11,000 lightyears away in the constellation Gemini, very near M35. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 1999
If you were "knocking on Heaven's door.." then this might be the keyhole you could peer through. The bright star in the center of this nebula is V380 Orionis and the entire complex is just south of the much more famous Orion Nebula. V380 Orionis is a very young variable star. Its natal clouds...
NGC 1961
NGC 1961 is a problematic galaxy. Its highly disturbed and asymmetric spiral arms would normally indicate an interaction or merger with another galaxy. However, no culprit is found to be the source of NGC 1961's angst. This galaxy is part of a group (of about 10 other smaller galaxies) around...
NGC 2683
This spiral galaxy is viewed nearly edge-on from our perspective. The reddened light from the center of the galaxy appears yellowish due to thousands of light years of intervening gas and dust in the outer arms of this galaxy. The core just just be glimpsed through the last wall of dust in the...
NGC 3227
NGC 3227 is currently colliding with the small elliptical galaxy to the lower-right. The interacting pair are located about 80 million miles away in the constellation Leo. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 3079
If you could speed up time and watch this galaxy evolve, the center of NGC 3079 would bubble with hot gas not unlike the shallow lava pits of Hawaii. A burst of star formation is creating tremendous stellar winds and accelerating particles and gas to many thousands of light years above (and...
NGC 2841
NGC 2841 is a very delicate spiral galaxy with tightly wound arms. This galaxy is estimated to be 130,000 light years across (the Milky way is 100,000) and around 31 million light years away. Even in this relatively deep exposure the colors are rather muted due to the faintness of the galaxy....
NGC 4013
NGC 4013 is a relatively small edge-on galaxy in the constellation of Virgo. The structure of this galaxy is very similar to NGC 891- especially the very fine sprays of dust lanes that rise perpendicular to the disk. The actual core of the galaxy is hidden by the central obscuring dust lane....
NGC 3953
Like its more well-known neighbor M109, this galaxy is a surprising copy-cat barred spiral galaxy. Slightly more inclined and with tightly wound arms, NGC 3953 is a seemingly more spirited galaxy 46 million light years away. In 2001 astronomers discovered a supernova in this galaxy. Also note...
NGC 3750 (Copelandʼs Septet)
This group of seven galaxies is located about 480 million lightyears away in the constellation Leo. In addition to NGC 3750, this group contains NGC 3745, NGC 3746, NGC 3748, NGC 3751, NGC 3753 and NGC 3754. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak...
NGC 3726
This barred spiral galaxy is located about 55 million lightyears away in the constellation Ursa Major. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 4565
NGC 4565 is an excellent example of an edge-on spiral galaxy. If our own galaxy was viewed from this perspective some 49 million light years distant, it would appear very much like this. The dust lane is the obscuring lane of gas and dust that blocks (reddens) the light from the interior. Also...
NGC 4490
This pair of galaxies often goes by the nickname of the "Cocoon Galaxy." Each "blob" is actually a spiral galaxy that has been distorted by the other. Hints of spiral structure are still evident in the smaller galaxy. These galaxies have already passed through their closest approach...
NGC 5005
This spiral galaxy is located about 65 million lightyears away in the constellation Canes Venatici. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 5033
NGC 5033 is a sprawling spiral galaxy with thick insect-like arms. Several HII (pink star forming regions) can be seen in this image. This galaxy is estimated to be 37 million light years away. Although it is a faint galaxy (at least for a 0.5m telescope) it is surprisingly well-studied. One of...
NGC 4699
NGC 4699 is a very tightly wound spiral galaxy with the hint of a bar-like structure in its nucleus. At a distance of 60 million light years away, it resides at the outskirts of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. Though small, this galaxy is quite bright and makes a good target for amateur CCD...
NGC 4698
This barred spiral galaxy, a member of the Virgo cluster of galaxies, is located about 55 million lightyears away in the constellation Virgo. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 5746
NGC 5746 is an edge-on spiral galaxy estimated to be about 95 million light years way. Edge-on galaxies like this provide astronomers with an opportunity to measure particular aspects of spiral galaxies. In this case, astronomers can measure the velocity of stars (by analyzing a the spectrum of...
NGC 5529
This edge-on spiral galaxy is located in the constellation Bootes. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 457: The "ET" Cluster
NGC 457 is an open cluster located in the constellation Cassieopeia. It is easily found in small telescopes, and a favorite for amateur astronomers who can imagine the nicknames of Owl Cluster and ET. The two bright stars in the upper left make up the eyes of ET. This image was taken as part of...
NGC 5170
Galactic police would have a difficult time trying to determine which of these two galaxies caused the collision. At an estimated distance of 100 million light years away the light that we now receive took a significant time compared to how quickly the shape of this interaction is evolving....
Abell 43
Abell 43 is one of a handful of challenging planetary nebula to detect in any way. Even using a sensitive CCD camera under dark skies barely hints on the intricate lace-like network of detail in this sphere of gas. This nebula has a spherical nature like that of Abell 39, and the complex...
NGC 5394 and NGC 5395
These two interacting spiral galaxies are located about 160 million lightyears away in the constellation Canes Venatici. It is thought that they have already collided once and are currently recoiling. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor...
NGC 5364
This symmetric and coiled spiral is one of the most beautiful galaxies in the Virgo cluster. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
NGC 5170
This edge-on spiral galaxy is located about 95 million lightyears away in the constellation Virgo. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.
Abell 70
In a universe such as ours, even the highly unlikely seems to happen surprisingly often. Here the superposition of two objects, a foreground planetary nebula and a background galaxy, make a striking diamond-ring effect. Indeed the carbon that makes a diamond would be found in the extended...
BV 5-3 (PK 131-5.1)
In physics and astronomy symmetry and simplicity are the guiding precepts for the description of the universe. Few things exemplify this idea better than planetary nebula. This small and nearly perfectly spherical shell of gas glows due to the intense ultra-violet radiation of the central star....
NGC 5474
NGC 5474 is an asymmetric spiral galaxy and it is being dramatically disturbed by its much larger neighbor M101. With respect to this image, M101 is several fields away towards the upper left direction. At first glance, it might appear that M101 is somehow gravitationally dragging the nucleus...
NGC 5248
NGC 5248 is a spiral galaxy that is part of the Virgo Cluster; however on a star chart the galaxy is found to be within constellation boundaries of Bootes. Short exposures of this galaxy show the bright structures of the central regions. Many dust lanes, HII (red) regions, and blue stellar...
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