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
Douglas Falls May 2011
Douglas Falls May 2011Revisiting familiar locations and employing new visualization techniques as well as new optimizing techniques is critical to improving your photography. Douglas Falls is one of my favorite locations in northern West Virginia. This interpretation is an attempt to capture the scene as it looks to the human eye, but the camera sensor is limited in capturing the scene in this manner. The techniques used in this capture and processing are what we teach in our workshops and one on one consulting. If you would like to learn more about this please see our list of workshops or contact me about scheduling your free one on one consulting session. Please click on the image or this link for a higher resolution image.
Elakala Falls with Black and White Interpretation
Elakala Falls Black and White DownstreamIt is important to experment with black and white interpretations of scenes when the color component is not critical and the image is more about light and structure. Flowing water lengs itself very nicely to black and white interpretations. This is not my primary visualization while in the field, but it is one that we need to be mindful of if we are not inclined to view a scene in the eyes of black and white.
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.
Left Main Waterfall
Left Main BranchContinuing to explore the work from the spring trip to the highlands of West Virginia and I just love the light on the left branch of the main waterfall at Blackwater Falls. This image is representative of what can be done during an upcoming workshop I am planning. More details to come soon. You can view and purchase this image at this link. You may also order by phone by calling (304) 634-0372. All major credit cards are accepted.
"Douglas Falls" added to "Water" portfolio
Douglas Falls, West Virginia, copyright 2010 Jeff BallSpectacular spring greens surround the colorful Douglas Falls in the highlands of West Virginia in May 2010. The lighting condition were simply perfect on this day for this scene as there were high moderately thick clouds with just enough sun to provide highlights on the lush spring green foliage. I also viewed a gorgeous Indigo Bunting while photographing in the area. Spectacular West Virginia scenery in the spring of 2010. Please don't forget to click on the image for optimum viewing in black portfolio window. I hope you enjoy the image.
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