From Starfront Observatories near Brady, Texas – IC 2118, the Witch Head Nebula, emerges from the cosmic darkness in not too far away in our nighttime sky from the famous Great Orion Nebula. This object, however, is a faint reflection nebula sitting approximately 900 light-years away, meaning the photons in this image began their journey around the year 1125 – during the height of the Crusades and the construction of Europe’s great cathedrals.
Continue reading 46 Hours on The Witch Head Nebula (IC2118) in LRGB + H-alpha 🧙♀️Tag Archives: deepsky
52 Hours on the Dark Shark: Deep Sky Astrophotography of LDN 1235
The Dark Shark Nebula 🦈
From Starfront Observatories near Brady, Texas – I caught a predator lurking in the depths of Cepheus. LDN 1235, better known as the Dark Shark Nebula, glides through a sea of stars approximately 650 light-years from Earth. The photons in this image left this cosmic nursery around the year 1375 – as the Renaissance was beginning to dawn in Europe and the Ming Dynasty was rising in China.
Continue reading 52 Hours on the Dark Shark: Deep Sky Astrophotography of LDN 1235
Exploring the Fighting Dragons of Cepheus 🐉
From the dark skies where I keep my telescope near Brady, Texas, I captured this dramatic nebula complex in the constellation Cepheus – a cosmic battleground of dark and bright nebulae that truly lives up to its dragon moniker.
This field showcases LDN 1228 (the dark nebula) and LBN 550 (the bright reflection nebula), located approximately 1,200 light-years away. That means the photons captured in this image began their journey around the year 825 CE – when the Viking Age was in full swing and Charlemagne’s grandsons were dividing his empire.
Continue reading Exploring the Fighting Dragons of Cepheus 🐉