The Herschel 400 Astronomical League Project is underway
It’s not too late to join. We are about 30 objects into the Herschel 400. Hope to get another session in soon. Please subscribe to the YouTube channel so you get notifications on LIVE STREAMS.
Angels in Monoceros: The Monoceros M2 Complex
The Monoceros R2 molecular complex (often shortened to Mon R2) is a massive giant molecular cloud and one of the nearest active star-forming regions to Earth. It's a dynamic stellar nursery embedded in dense gas and dust, where new stars—particularly massive ones—are actively being born.
Key Facts
Location: Southwestern part of the constellation Monoceros (the Unicorn), near the border with Orion. It's part of the larger Orion-Monoceros cloud complex.
Distance: Approximately 2,400–2,700 light-years (around 830 parsecs).
Size and Structure: The main dense core is relatively compact (a few light-years across), but the overall molecular cloud and associated nebulae span a wide area—reflection nebulae alone stretch up to about 2° in the sky. It's situated well below the galactic plane, which makes it stand out in certain observations.
Age and Activity: Star formation here began roughly 6–10 million years ago. It hosts an OB association (young, hot, massive B- and A-type stars) that illuminates surrounding dust, creating prominent reflection nebulae with bluish hues. There's also significant emission from ionized gas (red glows) and dark nebulae that appear as shadowy silhouettes blocking background light.
Notable Features:
A central hub of massive star formation with embedded clusters, molecular outflows, and HII regions.
Infrared observations (like those from VISTA or 2MASS) penetrate the dust to reveal hidden young stars and protoplanetary disks.
It's a key site for studying early stellar evolution, variability in young stellar objects (YSOs), and the interplay between massive stars and their natal clouds.
The most famous and photogenic part of Mon R2 is the region around NGC 2170 (the Angel Nebula), a striking reflection nebula with wing-like dust structures, glowing blue from scattered starlight, mixed with red emission and dark lanes. Wider views of the complex reveal a richer tapestry of colorful gas, dust filaments, and star clusters.
Credit: GROK 2/28/26
Click on image for larger view.
New Astro Camera: OM-3
Join me for a LIVE conversation about this new astro camera coming to the market. Is this the best option for you? How does it compare to other options? https://www.earthandskyphoto.com Correction: when discussing Bulb mode with Canon, I incorrectly said it had a limit of 30”. I meant to say manual exposure has a max of 30”. In bulb, you need to use a remote control or app for exposure time control. The problem is you can’t set exposure time for stills in the camera menu. I was made aware that Olympus no longer owns the OM system. It is owned by Japanese industrial Partners, a private equity firm. For content on the OM-3 for astrophotography, please see Ben Chapell’s Narrow Band channel. https://youtube.com/@TheNarrowbandChannel?si=GcWY-BM9skG9LPhY
Flamingo Sunsets
In the winter of this year I had the opportunity to visit the Everglades for a week of photography. I journeyed over most of the park from the eastern entrances everyday from pre-sunrise to post-sunset. One location quickly became my favorite after my very first visit. Flamingo is about 38 miles from the east entrance to the park. I wasn't setup for camping so I made the drive every day to Flamingo for sunset.
I was looking for a western exposure to the open water where I had a feeling that magical light could happen around sunset. My first trip to Flamingo was a stark reminder of the the official bird of Florida-the mosquito. They nearly carried me away that night and I never left my Deep Woods Off at home after that. 
The evening was very special as the Florida Bay was dead still and the post-sunset sky glow was reflecting off of the water like a mirror. This evening was colored by pink and blue pastels in the sky. The next evening was a little overcast and didn't provide much in the way of special light. My third evening was specactular. The pre-sunset sky was full of popcorn clouds and a brilliant sun reflecting off of the bay. Then it followed up with fantastic post-sunset sky glow and clouds that really made the trip special.
So it goes without saying that I have found a favorite photo location in the Everglades and will visit this spot every time I am in the area.
I invite you to view the full size images of Flamingo Sunsets at this link.
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