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
Solar Observing and Imaging with the Daystar Quark Chromosphere Filter
Please take a moment to check out my latest YouTube video where I share my first 8 months with the Daystar Quark Chromosphere filter for observing our very active Sun.
Summer Skies gifted with Solar Prominence
Our family vacationed in Surfside Beach, SC this past week. I had envisioned a video production celebrating the “Summer Sky”. I planned on capturing the beauty of the sky with clouds, stars, Milky Way, Sun, and Moon. I brought my Astro-Physics Stowaway and Daystar Quark Chromosphere Eyepiece along for hydrogen alpha views and images of the Sun. Boy was I in for a treat. I viewed/imaged the Sun every morning and was taken aback with the views on August 3. The prominence was fantastic and lingered well into the next day. Below are the images and links to the video production. I will soon have a video reviewing and discussing viewing imaging with the Daystar Quark Chromosphere eyepiece. So far, it has been a blast since I picked it up in December. Clear skies and thanks for stopping by.
The solar prominence arc on August 3, 2022.
The arc is still visible on August 4, 2022.
Celebrating “Summer Skies” with clouds, Sun, Moon, stars, and lightning.
The solar prominence animated on Aug. 3, 2022. This animation represents 40 minutes of motion. This is a 4 segment loop of a forward/reverse presentation.
Green Bank Star Quest 2022
The Green Bank Star Quest is a premier astronomy event in the U.S. The host facility, the Green Bank Observatory is a first-class facility. The are over 24 hours of lectures in the modern lecture halls and rooms. You can sign up for hands-on training and operation of a radio telescope as well as tour the Green Bank Telescope, an engineering and scientific marvel. Oh yeh, the skies are pretty dark there, too. I had 2 excellent nights of imaging, one night being a solid 9.5 out of 10. Please check out the YouTube video for sights and sounds from the party and I hope you enjoy the images below. See you next year at GBSQ 2023.
Star Trails over Green Bank
Milky Way at Green Bank with 35mm
Green Bank Observatory Milky Way
Rainbow Lagoon Nebula in SHO palette
“Pillars of Creation" in Eagle Nebula M16
Monongahela Milky Way from May 2022
I visited the wonderful mountains of West Virginia during the May new moon period. Two locations were on tap and both are in the Monongahela National Forest. Dolly Sods Wilderness Area is a premium destination for hiking on the east coast. It is pretty dark there, too. Brent Maynard, and his son Cameron, joined me for some astrophotography one night in Dolly Sods. Please see the YouTube video for a bit more background on this experience. I then spent a few nights at Experience Learning Center on Spruce Knob. The visit to the forest is best presented in the YouTube video. Here are the images from the trip. If you need more details on the images, please visit my Astrobin page linked in my “contact info” page. Clear skies.
Milky Way rising over the Eastern Continental Divide in Dolly Sods Wilderness Area
Milky Way over Forest Road 75
Enchanted Tree in Dolly Sods Wilderness Area
Head of Scorpius
IC 4592 Blue Horse Head nebula
IC 4604
Sunspots 3023 and 3024 on May 31, 2022
Filament and Spicules on the solar limb on May 31, 2022
M8, M20, and M21 in Sagittarius
M8, M20, and M21 in Sagittarius
June New Moon visit to Calhoun County Dark Sky Park in West Virginia
What a wonderful visit to Calhoun County Dark Sky Park June 4-6, 2021. Please see my latest YouTube video highlighting the visit as well as 4 new images and 2 added to the Astronomy Fine Art Print Collection.
Jeff's Blog
Join me on photography journeys from desert landscapes to deep sky wonders.
