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
I love photography!
Winding down vacation and all I can say is that I waited way too long to get the camera out and go photographing. I did finally spend some time the last two days photographing at Brookgreen Gardens and in the morning surf at the beach. It has been far too long since I engaged in some landscape photography. Man did I have fun! Simply being in the moment, exploring beautiful Brookgreen Gardens and looking for compositions...it was marvelous. The thrill of the hunt, looking for that great moment of wonderful light and composition, and I think I may have found a couple of images to share with you. I can't wait to get home and work on some of the compositions in the digital darkroom. But even if I hadn't found a single composition, it was an amazing experience to simply be on the hunt again. Brookgreen is an amazing combination of gardens and sculpture. Being in the midst of wonderful fine art created even more momentum for my photographic pursuits.
I am trying to balance astrophotography and landscape photography and it may prove to be too challenging. But I am going to really take a stab at achieving the balance since I enjoy both so much and I believe the pursuit of one helps the artistic expression of the other. If it has been a while since you went out on the hunt for a great photograph, I encourage you to grab the camera and isolate yourself from the cares of the world and begin to look for those great moments of light and composition. I really hope to return to this area and explore Brookgreen more extensively. Stay tuned for images and more information and Happy Independence Day!!!
Recommended-Brooks Jensen Podcasts
On vacation in Myrtle Beach with golfing, beach, and photography. My photography location will be Brookgreen Gardens just south of Murrell's Inlet. I hope to visit there tomorrow. But I had a chance to catch up on my favorite podcast from Brooks Jensen and I wanted to invite you to visit his podcasts as well. Brooks provides valuable insight into photography today from all angles including technical advancements and artistic presentations. I always glean something of value from his podcasts and if you are a student of photography like me, I think you will, too. Please follow the link above for his website and links to his podcasts.
Jeff's Blog
Join me on photography journeys from desert landscapes to deep sky wonders.
