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
M8 and M21 Two Panel Mosaic from Green Bank Star Quest
2019 Green Bank Star Quest had some exceptional weather, especially nice transparency in the southern sky which doesn’t always happen. The nice weather afforded the opportunity to put together two mosaics from the event. The Pipe Rho Ophiuchus was taken early in the week and this M8/M21 vertical mosaic was taken last.
This was my first dark sky outing with the Astro-Physics 92mm Stowaway/ZWO ASI 294MC combination. And I am extremely happy with the imaging setup. The GBSQ also afforded great imaging time experience with the latest ASI Air app. It proved to be very helpful in constructing mosaics on the spot. The plate solving function is absolutely amazing.
The mosaic is two panels of 4 hours each with sub-frames of 15 minutes. Processing in Pixinsight, Photoshop, and quite a bit with Light Room. Hope you enjoy this great part of the Milky Way. More images and mosaics are in the oven. Stay tuned.
Pipe to Rho Ophiuchus with Jupiter
Finally….had a chance to work up the first composition from the Green Bank Star Quest in June. It was my first panoramic panel in quite a while, so the re-learning curve was a little steep. We don’t often get conditions that permit us to image at the declination of Rho, but in June we had two nights of great southern transparency. This is a 2 panel panoramic with 2 hours of data for each panel. I just love imaging Rho area every year. I can’t wait to get to the southern hemisphere and see this area arching straight overhead! I hope you enjoy this composition. I went with the composition in spite of Jupiter invading our delicate Milky Way field. I think Jupiter adds a little umph to the image. The image is archived in the CCD/CMOS section of the website and also on astrobin at this link. Have a great day!
Richard Tatti Nightscape Photography on YouTube
I just have to share great content when I come across it. It is rare to find enthusiasm, professionalism, craftsmanship, and teaching skills all wrapped up into one special package. Richard Tatti is producing very special content for the photographer. His vision and enthusiasm for night scape photography are infectious. I have learned so much from his YouTube channel already. If you love photography, please check out his YouTube channel and subscribe. You will be glad you did.
Tour of the Green Bank Telescope
Tour of the Green Bank Telescope
Attendees at the Green Bank Star Quest have an opportunity to tour the GBT. It is am amazing experience and I highly recommend it. Be aware that it does involve heights above 300 feet on open metal flooring. But the views are spectacular. The engineering and science embodied by the GBT and the entire facility are impressive. For more information on the scope and the facility, please see this link.
Jeff's Blog
Join me on photography journeys from desert landscapes to deep sky wonders.
