This is M1, the Crab Nebula, also known as NGC1952. It is the remnant of a supernova explosion observed in the year 1054. There is a neutron star (Crab Pulsar) about 19 miles in diameter spinning 30 times a second at its center. Eight hours total exposure on 12/11/2025. #astrophotography

Sunset on the Oregon coast this evening. As it is the sun, I figure it is legit to add the tag #astrophotography. I know it is a stretch. Forgive me😁

This is Copelands Lost Galaxy (NGC4535) and represents a 5-hour total exposure (see equipment list in my bio) taken last May. It was first observed by William Herschel in 1785 and is about 55 million light years distant.

Probably my only clear night for two weeks here on the Oregon Coast! Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) using Seestar S50 on 11/21/2025. Two hours total exposure. Here is a time lapse over 100 years of its expansion: skyandtelescope.org/wp-content/u... From this article: skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...

Credit: Eugene Astronomical Society. #Astrophotography

NGC891 (Silver Sliver Galaxy) last night, 80% of 160x180s exposures. First test of the new ASI2600mc pro with replacement fan deployed (see prior post). More info on this target here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_891. A definite improvement over those elongate stars I was getting from imbalanced fan.

1/2: PSA: Do you get oblong stars like this but have good guiding? Are you using a ZWO cooled camera at long focal lengths? Is the elongation independent of exposure time? The problem is likely an imbalanced fan in the camera (in my case a brand new ASI2600mc pro). #astrophotography

Here is another screen capture this morning from the Mauna Kea Live webcam. Lasers are used to create an artificial laser guide star used for correcting for atmospheric turbulence. This technology is called adaptive optics and is a crucial tool for modern ground-based astronomy. #Astrophotography

This morning, I brought up the webcam at the Subaru Telescope, Mauna Kea, HI. The image was spectacular, so I am sharing the screen shot I took. Here is a link to that webcam for those interested. www.webcamtaxi.com/en/usa/hawai... #Astrophotography

An amateur star-gazer’s pain, Who wished for the skies clear again, Sat watching the rain, With a hopeful refrain— “Let me glimpse through this clouded domain!” #Astrophotography

M81 (Bode's Galaxy) this morning. I had an hour to kill before sunrise so gave it a shot. 48 minutes total exposure in Bortle 6 light pollution. Just tossing this out as an example of squeezing in all the dark you can in an imaging session. A "shot in the dark" maybe? #Astrophotography

ICE better not come after this badass alien! #astrophotography

After a bit of a hiatus from astrophotography, I gave my new camera (ASI2600mc Pro) a spin around the block last night (09/17/2025). Here is M31 (Andromeda Galaxy) with very little post processing. 120 X 180s exposures (stacked best 80%). C9.25 Edge with Hyperstar V4. #astrophotography

For something different, and good for a change! There has been a die off of starfish on this particular section of Oregon coast over the last few years. I am very happy to report that they are making a comeback. But slowly. Lessons learned. There is really hope for lost causes.

Sun's got freckles today! Took this short video earlier today using Seestar S50. At Oregon Coast. #Astrophotography

This is NGC7380 (Wizard Nebula) shot from my backyard over three nights (7/05-7/07 2025). 14 hours total exposure. NGC7380 is an emission nebula located in Cepheus and is approx. 7200 LY distant. Hubble palette on right. OSC camera, dual narrow band filter. Equipment in my bio. #astrophotography

NGC6888 (Crescent Nebula) is a cosmic bubble shaped by the interaction of a Wolf-Rayet star's stellar wind with material ejected by the star when it was a red giant. It is about 5000 light-years distant. Hubble palette on right. 20 hrs. exposure 7/05 to 7/13 2025 from backyard. #astrophotography

This is NGC7023 (Iris Nebula) shot from my backyard 06/26/2025-06/29/2025. About 11 hours total exposure. NGC7023 is a reflection nebula in the constellation Cepheus and is roughly 1300 light-years distant and 3 light-years in radius. Here is a zoom in on it youtu.be/Vhlesz-Knuw

A brain-cleanser after witnessing that vanity parade yesterday. Tide pools on Oregon Coast taken a few days ago. Evolution suggests that at one time in the distant past, we crawled out of these. I am thinking at this point that we did not get far, but I remain hopeful.

I just finished up a third night on M82 (Cigar Galaxy) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier.... About 9.5 hr. total exposure. I then applied the Hubble Ha-OO palette to the final image and did a comparison. My image on the left, a Hubble image on the right. No complaints but I now want an orbiting scope!

This is M27 (Dumbbell Nebula). Six-hours total exposure from my backyard on 05/07 and 05/08 2025. M27 is a planetary nebula (nebulosity surrounding a white dwarf) at a distance of about 1360 light-years. Dual narrow-band filter and Ha-OO Hubble palette. More here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumbbel...

The Owl Nebula (also known as Messier 97, M97 or NGC 3587) is a planetary nebula approximately 2,030 light years away. Estimated to be about 8,000 years old, it was formed from the outflow of material from the stellar wind of the central star. Six-hour exposure on 04/21/2025 from my backyard.

This could be an image of your 401K blowing up, our economy blowing up or our democracy blowing up. Nope. It is Messier 3 (NGC 5272), a rather spectacular globular cluster consisting of a half-million stars. Took it last night. Here is more info on it. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_3. Stay strong.

This is M100 (The Blow Dryer Galaxy) It is 55 million light-years distant. The light that hit the camera sensor started its journey at the same time that Earth was undergoing mass extinctions in the oceans due to global warming. History may repeat itself. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier...

UofPenn Wharton School of Business: If you are listening, you might consider revoking Trump's degree from your university to save yourselves a ton of future embarrassment. The Orange Clown knows less about economics that your average five-year-old. Optics are not optimal. Thank you... that is all.

I have had two security clearances during my working career: Secret (DOD) and Q (DOE). I am totally aware of the extensive vetting by the FBI prior to being issued these clearances. What in God's name is going on with the Trump admin to hire such fools? Asking for a nation who really wants to know.

PSA: Everyone should probably get on the Social Security website and make a hard copy of your contributions to SS over your working years (this is easy to do). This is just in case Elmo messes with that data (which he now has access to) in order to claim "rampant fraud". CYA folks.

Give me warp speed, Scotty! There are many galaxies to be explored, and Elmo has just cut NASA's budget... no time to dilly dally. This is Markarian's Chain, total exposure about 10 hours over two nights from my backyard. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markari...

I ran across this quote recently: "Reality is the leading cause of stress for those in touch with it!" (Credit. Jane Wagner). It struck a chord with me and seems especially appropriate for these times.

Credit: Eugene Astronomical Society

This is the Leo Triplet (M65, M66 and NGC 3628), image taken 03/09/2025 and represents a 6.5-hour total exposure. The three galaxies are 35 million light-years distant and are interacting gravitationally with each other. The one with the dust lane (NGC 3628) is known as the Hamburger Galaxy.

Credit: The Eugene Astronomical Society.

This is NGC 4631 (Whale Galaxy), an edge-on barred galaxy roughly 30 million light-years distant. The image represents a 7.8-hour exposure over two nights from my backyard (4/11/2024). NGC 4631 has a nearby companion, dwarf elliptical galaxy NGC 4627

Musk was under investigation by USAID regarding Starlink/Ukraine when he terminated USAID. Any effing questions?

This is NGC 2174 (Monkey Head Nebula). The 90-minute exposure was taken on 11/9/2024. It is 6400 light-years distant. Young stars near the center generate stellar winds that cause the nebula's material to shift into complex shapes. The nebula is primarily composed of hydrogen.

Just trying out a new (and tiny) smart telescope, the ZWO Seestar S50. Here is the first image I took with it a couple of days ago. Stacked a 7-second video (PIPP, Autostakkert) to get this. The stacking brought out some nice detail on those sunspots. This scope will be in the car on road trips.

This is an image of the Triangulum Galaxy (M33) I took on 10/3/2024 from my backyard and represents a 7-hour total exposure time. It is 3.2 million light-years distant and roughly 70% the size of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. Star formation within the galaxy is about 0.5 solar masses per year.

For those who missed the occultation of Mars behind the Moon on 1/13/2025, here it is thanks to the Griffith Observatory in California. griffithobservatory.org/event/lunar-...

Was this the most visually-appealing solar flare of 2024? According to my social media engagement it was, as my most liked/viewed post ever on the other app. It's a fantastic solar flare example from September 1st, with striking flare loops, flare fan, and supra-arcade downflows. #astronomy

This is the Heart Nebula, 7500 light-years distant. The image represents a 5-hour total exposure (9/29/2024) from my backyard. This is an emission nebula, glowing ionized hydrogen gas excited by a group of hot stars near the center. The shape is driven by the stellar winds of those core stars.

This is the Soul Nebula (IC1848) and represents a 7.5-hour total exposure taken on 10/15/2024 from my backyard. It is a star-forming region in Cassiopea and is 6500 light-years distant and 150 light-years across and was discovered in 1787. Full moon and smoky conditions when I took this.

Not a lot of clear skies where I am now, but the Oregon Coast in winter is something to behold. This is a tame sea compared with the waves took out part of the Santa Cruz wharf way south of here a few days ago. This picture was taken on that same day. 95mph gusts clocked here a few years back.

I try to keep my feed non-political. The universe is so much bigger that our stupid local issues. However, in this case, I will take that interesting side road. Had our population and leaders been as spineless on April 19, 1775, as they clearly are today, America would never have happened. Ponder.

This is the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) discovered by Charles Messier in 1773. The image was taken on 4/2/2024 from my backyard and represents 7 hours total exposure. M51 is 31 million light-years distant. The smaller compact galaxy to the right (NGC5195) is passing behind M51.

This is the Helix Nebula (NGC7293). A 2-hour guided exposure using a 3" refractor w/ field flattener. It is a planetary nebula - an expanding shell of gas thrown off by a dying star - and is 655 light-years distant and abut 11,000 years old. Its nickname is "Eye of God" in pop culture.

This is the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101). The image is a 27-hour total exposure over five nights from my backyard. It is roughly 21 million light years distant and about twice the size of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. In 2023, there was observed a supernova in one of the spiral arms

For a change of pace - the Oregon Coast at sunset just after an infrequent snowstorm. Taken about a year ago.

NGC 7822 is a young star-forming complex 2900 light-years distant. The younger components are no more than a few million years old. The complex also includes a very hot star with surface temperature of 80,000F and is one of the primary sources illuminating the nebula. 4-hr exposure 11/9/2024.

Dont normally post memes, but this was too relevant 😄. #ukastronomy #astronomy #astrophotography imgflip. com

The Pleiades (M 45) is an open cluster dominated by hot blue luminous stars that were formed in the last 100 million years. It is the closest Messier object to Earth and can be seen with the naked eye. This is a 5-hour total exposure taken on 10/1/2024.