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
Unseen Hours Podcast
Jeff discusses the challenge of "unseen hours" in a productivity oriented society.
Surprises from printing marathon...
Preparing for the Norton Commons show next month and fine tuning all of the astronomical fine art prints. I have said it too many times, but an image that looks fine on the monitor is often times not nearly ready for fine art printing. Over the past few days I have been optimizing my astrophotography prints and today I had an opportunity to compare two different papers.
Now earlier in the week I had an opportunity to compare my two favorite papers, Hahnemuhle Photo Rag (matte paper) to Harman Fiber Gloss (semi-glossy.) To my surprise I preferred the matte paper to the glossy. Today I just received a new semi-glossy paper, Canson Baryta. Just finished the new comparison and again, I prefer the matte paper for my current asto prints. The Canson looks like a gorgeous paper and will probably become my preferred paper for landscape prints. But for astrophotography prints right now, the matte paper provides a more comfortable look into the scene and presents the image in the best possible way.
My first thought at the beginning of the week was that the semi-glossy paper would be the preferred for the astronomical subjects. But the darks in the matte paper and the subdued contrast and highlights really deepen the visual experience of each astronomical print.
So after numerous hours of printing and comparing I am very confident in printing my next round of astronomical prints with the Hahnemuhle Photo Rag matte paper. It really looks wonderful!
Alain Briot Interview Part 4 - Digital vs. Film
At the time this interview was recorded, just over 3 years ago, the film vs. digital debate was near the end of its time. But some of the discussion in this segment is still relevant today when it comes to optimizing our digital data.
Alain Briot Interview Part 3 - Color Photography as Art
In part 3 of our interview, Alain discusses color photography as art.
Jeff's Blog
Join me on photography journeys from desert landscapes to deep sky wonders.
