DeepSky Photos

Digital Astrophotography

2020 and later

Emission and Reflection Nebulae

Nebulae are clouds of interstellar gas where stars are born as the gaseous material condenses into a tightly packed mass. Emission nebulae have one or more bright stars nearby that cause the gases to emit energy primarily in the reddish hydrogen-alpha part of the spectrum. Reflection nebulae have one or more bright stars nearby but not close enough to cause emission, and only bluish light from the stars is reflected.

Orion & Running Man
Nebulae

Flame & Horsehead Nebulae
(Orion Belt)

Orion Belt
and Sword

Barnard's
Loop

Witch Head
Nebula

Lagoon & Trifid
Nebulae

Omega & Eagle
Nebulae

Lagoon Nebula	Trifid Nebula	Omega Nebula	Eagle Nebula
Rosette Nebula	Rosette & Cone Nebulae	Rosette & Cone Complex	Rosette & Cone Complex
Heart & Soul Nebulae with H & Chi Persei	California Nebula	Seagull Nebula	Pacman Nebula

North American &
Pelican Nebulae

North American &
Elephant Trunk Nebulae

Veil
Nebula

North American, Elephant Trunk, & Veil Nebulae

Monkey's Head & Jellyfish
Nebulae

Antares Nebulae
M4 globular cluster

Flaming Star and Sh2-236
Nebulae; M38 open cluster

Flaming Star and Sh2-236
Nebulae; M35, M36, M37,
& M38 open clusters

Flaming Star and Sh2-236
Nebulae: M35, M36, M37,
& M38 open clusters

Wizard, Lobster Claw, &
Bubble Nebulae
M52 Open Cluster

Planetary Nebulae

These deep sky objects are tiny and not like the large emission and reflection nebulae where stars are born. A planetary nebula is a type of emission nebula consisting of an expanding, glowing shell of ionized gas ejected from a star late in its life, and only exists for a few tens of thousands of years. They are also not related to planets, but were given this name when first discovered in the 1700s because they resembled the size and shape of planets.

Dumbbell
Planetary Nebula

Helix
Planetary Nebula

Supernova Remnant

The Crab Nebula, while quite small and really difficult to photograph without a telescope, is the remnant of the great supernova (explosion of a dying star) of 1054 A.D. This supernova was so bright in 1054 that it was visible in the daylight for 23 days, and some medieval rulers added its representation to their coinage as a divine signal for their rule.

Crab Nebula

Galaxies

Galaxies contain hundreds of billlions of stars.

Andromeda
& M110 Galaxies

Triangulum
Galaxy

Pinwheel
& NGC 5474 Galaxies

Whirlpool
& NGC 5195 Galaxies

Bode's, Cigar
& NGC 2976 Galaxies

M106+ Galaxies

Star Clusters

Open star clusters appear to be associated as stellar groupings in the sky, but often are separated by greatly different distances from the earth. Note the blue nebulosity around the stars of the Pleiades. Globular clusters do form a spatially connected group, and often there more than a million stars in a single cluster.