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
Chantilly, VA show and "hello" again
Hello blog! My deepest apologies for neglecting you, but it has been an extremely busy time. Capturing new images, working on new images, preparing for shows, working shows...it has been non-stop. But today I am back in the office working on new images and I am very excited about what is to come. For those who haven't visited my prints in person, I wanted to post to the blog a photo of my most recent show in Virginia. I can't say it any better than Paul did on his visit to my booth...
"Jeff, it was great meeting you at the show. Your images look so much better printed than in a web browser! Best of luck this weekend and the rest of your shows".
Thanks so much Paul and it was great meeting you as well. That is one of the things I love about art shows is meeting others who have a love for our great natural world and the beauty that we are blessed with each and every day.
So I need to get back to work on some new images and I will update the blog as soon as one is ready for public presentation! Take care and stay in touch.
Creating a Print: Part 2
M31 RAW converted and ready for stacking
Several corrections are made in Adobe Light Room 3.0 (LR) with the image. First the image is rotated to a more pleasing angle of view. This is the presentation angle in which I originally envisioned the galaxy before capture. One of the most important things we do in LR is attempt to get the color balance as accurate as possible. It is important that all sharpening be turned "off" in LR. Sharpening can cause distortion and artifacts in the stars. I then apply an appropriate amount of noise reduction. This is where LR 3.0 really stands out. The new luminance and color noise reduction controls are outstanding for astrophotography. It is important to not over-smooth as we want normal luminance noise to be reduced by subsequent stacking of photos. Now that I have my RAW file ready for conversion, I simply apply the same corrections to the other RAW files and prepare them for stacking.
Creating a Print: Part 1
Unprocessed RAW image of the Andromeda GalaxyI just saw something another artist posted on their Twitter that I thought was interesting. Sheep Incognito posted an early rendition of a painting the artist is working on for Christmas. I thought this would be most interesting and instructional for me to do as well with one of my most recent astrophotos. So today we begin by posting a RAW image that has simply been converted to jpg. This is "what the camera sees." We have begun some discussions on whether or not the camera is the teller of "truth," but we will not get into that discussion for now. I obviously believe the camera is a big fat liar! So we will monitor the development of this print as it evolves. As Ansel Adams once said, "you do not take a picture, but you MAKE a picture." So we will watch as the Andromeda Galaxy becomes a picture worth hanging on your wall over the next few weeks. I hope you enjoy the process and off we go....
September Print of the Month: The Wave
September Print of the Month: The WaveThe September Print of the Month has just been released. Not only is this image the September Print of the Month, but it will also make its debut in my upcoming Atlanta show this weekend. So be the first to see the print either at the show or by ordering your special print of the month today!
The mix of color is made up of reflecting light bouncing off of side canyon walls in addition to the bright blue sky lighting up rock formations that are exposed to the sky directly.
This particular image is a blend of 5 frames to compensate for the very high dynamic range of the scene. The light in the final print is certainly faithful to the light one experiences while there in person. The limitations of the CMOS sensor in the camera must be overcome by utilizing high dynamic range blending techniques.
This image is stunning in its archival framed or matted presentation. Each framed presentation is complete with museum quality glass which provides anti-reflection enjoyment of the print as well as protection against harmful ultraviolet light rays. The framed print looks fantastic in any room.
Please contact me with any questions you may have on the print and I hope you find a place in your home or office for this very special piece.
Shadyside Art Show
What a lovely art show in a wonderful part of Pittsburgh. The weather was perfect (well it could have been a degree or two cooler) for the Shadyside Art Festival held this past weekend. It is a pleasure to meet and discuss our great natural world with so many smart and compassionate people. I must extend a big "Thank You" to Cappy's Cafe! They were extremely gracious toward me and my fellow artists during the event with great food delivered to our booth, free ice water, restrooms, and an electrical hook-up for Saturday night. I met many new collectors of my photography and signed folks up for the newsletter and workshop. It was a very tiring weekend and I am still recovering a bit.
The promoters of the event paid a visit to my booth on two separate occasions. Debbie and Howard Alan of Howard Alan Events stopped by to discuss the booth presentation and setup. They were both very complimentary on the booth and offered some wonderful suggestions. One of which is to extend the booth panels higher with the extension pieces from ProPanels. That is exactly what we are doing for the Atlanta show. We are going to try and knock the socks off of Atlanta with the biggest display yet. I am very thankful to Debbie and Howard for their advice and very kind comments on the art display.
The booth has now had 3 designs for 3 shows. Perhaps that is a consistent theme? I am keeping the show design flexible so that it may be optimized for each art festival. It is very exciting to consider new show designs for each festival and something I enjoy doing a great deal. So Atlanta look for a great show from us in September.
One of the things I enjoy the most about art shows is meeting inspiring artists. I was very fortunate to have one as my neighbor in Pittsburgh. Nicholas Yust of Cincinnati is a fine metal artist and his work is amazing. I encourage you to visit his website for more information and images. Artists like Nicholas are why it is worth visiting regional art shows that showcase national artist. Terrific work and highly recommended!
Much more on all things photography in the next few days. Take care and thanks again to Pittsburgh and Howard Alan Events for a great show.
Jeff's Blog
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