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
November 2010 Print of the Month: Buckskin Gulch Glow
Buckskin Gulch GlowThe November Print of the Month is "Buckskin Gulch Glow" from the most recent visit to the Colorado Plateau.
Incredible fleeting glow in Buckskin Gulch in June 2010. Buckskin is a fabulous hike from the trailhead at The Wave in the Paria Wilderness area in Utah. On this day a brief moment of intense sunlight provided the incredible glow on the opposing wall of the gulch and created a most unique light in the cavernous system.
The print is luminescent on Canson Baryta Photographique paper and can be purchased at a 20% discount for the next 30 days.
Dead Horse Point Sunrise
Dead Horse Point State Park, UTOne of the iconic overlooks in the western U.S. is Dead Horse Point just outside of Moab, UT. The overlook is breathtaking, especially as the morning light begins to cover the canyon. The rocky overlook is 2,000 feet above the Colorado River below. You may Google the state park for more information on how the name came to be. I hope you enjoy the image and may it "take you there." The print is made on Canson Baryta Photographique paper. For best presentation, please click on the image to go the the "Southwest" gallery and then click on the thumbnail for a black portfolio presentation. This image has been resized and is not at full optimization for viewing.
Cumulonimbus
CumulonimbusA new image from the June visit to the Colorado Plateau presents the spectacular clouds that were building just outside of St. George, UT. The clouds were forming rapidly and the interplay of the clouds with the surrounding mountains was spectacular. Later that afternoon, Ken and I experienced a pretty intense hail storm while enjoying lunch. A few things that I wanted to represent in this image are the luminescence of the clouds as well as the slight red glow that lights the bottom of the cloud deck. The luminescence is most visible in the uprising cloud structure and looks as though the energy in the cloud is about to burst. The red glow on the bottom cloud deck is from the reflected light off of the desert.
This print is made on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag paper.
Andromeda Galaxy 2010
The Great Andromeda GalaxyIf you have followed previous blog posts you know that I have been working on this image for some time. I apologize that I did not provide more intermediate updates, but here is the final image as it will be printed on my Epson 7800. You may want to reference earlier posts about making a print of Andromeda beginning on September 15. You can see the initial RAW image at initial capture and compare to the finished image. As Ansel said, "you don't take a photograph, you MAKE a photograph."
It is always a pleasure to revisit familiar astronomical objects and the Great Andromeda Galaxy is certainly one of the finest. This past August we had the opportunity to capture the galaxy from the fabulous dark skies of The Mountain Institute on Spruce Knob in West Virginia during the Almost Heaven Star Party. The galaxy is a marvel to behold as one of our local neighborhood galaxies that stretches over 220,000 light years across. It is the farthest deep sky object that can be seen with the unaided eye and is located at a distance of over 2,000,000 light years away. The galaxy is easily seen from the dark skies of Spruce Knob with the unaided eye. The diffuse glow of the galaxy is caused by billions of stars shining throughout the galaxy's disk. Andromeda is classified as a spiral type of galaxy. For more information and to view the image in the black portfolio screen (the best view) please click here.
Autumn's Brilliance
Autumn's BrillianceDriving to The Mountain Institute on Spruce Knob I was captured by this view. It takes a very special scene to get me to stop and work it photographically, but this was the most intense autumn scene I have ever witnessed. The crystal clear transparency was giving way to a blazing late evening sun which was providing the unbelievable back lighting on the leaves and surrounding forest. I only hope I have depicted the scene half as well as the scene looked in reality. It was the most intense display of light and color I have ever come across. The print is titled "Autumn's Brilliance" and is the October Print of the Month. I hope you enjoy the image and the print. Please be sure to click on the image and then click on the thumbnail for a larger presentation in a portfolio black screen viewing mode for greatest viewing effect.
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