StarCatcher 🇨🇦

Love it 😍

A class act.

Detail -1 Our natural satellite, the Moon 🌙 Captured Feb 21, 2026 at 19:46 — 22.6% illumination, from my backyard. 🔭 WO Pleiades 111 (528mm) 📷 ASI 2660MC 50% best of 2000 frames

Detail -2 Our natural satellite, the Moon 🌙 Captured Feb 21, 2026 at 19:46 — 22.6% illumination, from my backyard. 🔭 WO Pleiades 111 (528mm) 📷 ASI 2660MC 50% best of 2000 frames

Here's some close-ups

#Astrophotography #Space #MoonHour #Astronomy

Our natural satellite, the Moon 🌙 Captured Feb 21, 2026 at 19:46 — 22.6% illumination, from my backyard. 🔭 WO Pleiades 111 (528mm) 📷 ASI 2660MC 50% best of 2000 frames

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Our natural satellite, the Moon 🌙
Captured Feb 21, 2026 at 19:46 — 22.6% illumination, from my backyard.

🔭 WO Pleiades 111 (528mm)
📷 ASI 2660MC
50% best of 2000 frames

#Astrophotography #Space #MoonHour #Astronomy

Thanks Peter

The Cone Nebula — A few intimate close-ups (1), inviting you to wander through its delicate cosmic details.

The Cone Nebula — A few intimate close-ups (2), inviting you to wander through its delicate cosmic details.

The Cone Nebula — A few intimate close-ups (3), inviting you to wander through its delicate cosmic details.

(2 of 2) The Cone Nebula — A few intimate close-ups, inviting you to wander through its delicate cosmic details.

The Cone Nebula is an H II region in the constellation of Monoceros. It was discovered by William Herschel on December 26, 1785, at which time he designated it H V.27. The nebula is located about 830 parsecs or 2,700 light-years from Earth. The Cone Nebula forms part of the nebulosity surrounding the Christmas Tree Cluster. The designation of NGC 2264 in the New General Catalogue refers to both objects and not the nebula alone. Description The diffuse Cone Nebula, so named because of its apparent shape, lies in the southern part of NGC 2264, the northern part being the magnitude-3.9 Christmas Tree Cluster. It is in the northern part of Monoceros, just north of the midpoint of a line from Procyon to Betelgeuse. The cone's shape comes from a dark absorption nebula consisting of cold molecular hydrogen and dust in front of a faint emission nebula containing hydrogen ionized by S Monocerotis, the brightest star of NGC 2264. The faint nebula is approximately seven light-years long (with an apparent length of 10 arcminutes), and is 2,700 light-years from Earth.

A starless version, revealing the quiet, hidden beauty of the nebula in all its purest detail.

(1 of 2) The Cone Nebula A.K.A The Fox Fur (NGC 2264) in Hα/OIII/SII with the RedCat 61mm and QHY MiniCam8—shot from my backyard. Another step in my "imaging in narrow band" journey.

🔭 William Optics RedCat 61
📷 QHY MiniCam8
Total exposure: 3 h 05 min

#Astrophotography #Space #DeepSpace #Astronomy

Thanks again Peter

Thanks Gary

Here we have the starless version of The Rosette Nebula (also known as Caldwell 49) is an H II region located near one end of a giant molecular cloud in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way Galaxy. The open cluster NGC 2244 (Caldwell 50) is closely associated with the nebulosity, the stars of the cluster having been formed from the nebula's matter. The nebula has a shape reminiscent of a human skull, and is sometimes referred to as the "Skull Nebula". It is not to be confused with NGC 246, which is also nicknamed the "Skull Nebula"

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Starless view ✨ Without the stars, the Rosette Nebula reveals its delicate structure and glowing clouds—pure cosmic art.

NGC 2238 or The Rosette Nebula (also known as Caldwell 49) is an H II region located near one end of a giant molecular cloud in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way Galaxy. The open cluster NGC 2244 (Caldwell 50) is closely associated with the nebulosity, the stars of the cluster having been formed from the nebula's matter. The nebula has a shape reminiscent of a human skull, and is sometimes referred to as the "Skull Nebula". It is not to be confused with NGC 246, which is also nicknamed the "Skull Nebula".

(1 of 2) First narrowband attempt! 🌌 Rosette Nebula in Hα/OIII/SII with the RedCat 61mm and QHY MiniCam8—shot from my backyard. A rewarding step in my astro journey. More to come!

🔭 William Optics RedCat 61
📷 QHY MiniCam8
Total exposure: 2 h 25 min

#Astrophotography #Space #DeepSpace #Astronomy

Starless version of the Rosette Nebula

(2 of 2) Here's the starless version to enjoy the beauty of the object

The Rosette Nebula (also known as Caldwell 49) is an H II region located near one end of a giant molecular cloud in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way Galaxy. The open cluster NGC 2244 (Caldwell 50) is closely associated with the nebulosity, the stars of the cluster having been formed from the nebula's matter.The cluster and nebula lie at a distance of 5,000 light-years from Earth[7] and measure roughly 130 light years in diameter. The radiation from the young stars excites the atoms in the nebula, causing them to emit radiation themselves producing the emission nebula we see. The mass of the nebula is estimated to be around 10,000 solar masses.

(1 of 2) Another night out
The Rosette Nebula (NGC 2238), located near a giant molecular cloud in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Shot from my backyard on 2025-12-27.

🔭 William Optics RedCat 61
📷 ZWO ASI 2600
Exposure: 2 h 05 min

#Astrophotography #Space #DeepSpace #Astronomy

Thank you 🙏

(2 of 2) Here's the starless version to really get a good feel for the beauty of he object

Bottom object in the image: IC 405 (also known as the Flaming Star Nebula, SH 2-229, or Caldwell 31) is an emission and reflection nebula[1] in the constellation Auriga north of the celestial equator, surrounding the bluish, irregular variable star AE Aurigae. It shines at magnitude +6.0. Its celestial coordinates are RA 05h 16.2m dec +34° 28′.[2] It is located near the emission nebula IC 410, the open clusters M38 and M36, and the K-class star Iota Aurigae. The nebula measures approximately 37.0' x 19.0', and lies about 1,500 light-years away from Earth.[2] It is believed that the proper motion of the central star can be traced back to the Orion's Belt area.[2] The nebula is about 5 light-years across.

The Tadpole Nebula (IC 410) is a vibrant star-forming region in the constellation Auriga, about 12,000 light-years away, famous for its tadpole-shaped clouds of gas and dust sculpted by stellar winds from hot, young stars in the central cluster NGC 1893, resembling celestial tadpoles "swimming" to form new stars, similar to the Pillars of Creation. These dense "tadpole heads" point away from the central cluster, their tails shaped by intense radiation, making it a popular target for astrophotographers.

(1 of 2) Finally, a night out
The Flaming Star Nebula and the Tadpole Nebulae are emission and reflection nebulae located in the constellation Auriga.

Shot from my backyard on 2025-12-25.

🔭 William Optics RedCat 61
📷 ZWO ASI 2600
Exposure: 1 h 10 min

#Astrophotography #Space #DeepSpace #Astronomy

Done ✅

It is fun to ride. Very smooth and quiet.

Bravo

C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) was discovered as an asteroidal object with an apparent magnitude of about 21.5 by the Mount Lemmon Survey in images obtained on 3 January 2025 when it was 4.5 AU from the Sun. Consequently, precovery images by PanSTARRS dating from 12 November 2024 were found.[2] The object was found to have a very condensed coma, 2.2 arcseconds across. A short tail, two arcseconds long was found in images from 21 February 2025.[7] When first discovered the comet was expected to only brighten to apparent magnitude 10, but is now expected to brighten to apparent magnitude of about 3.5, which would make it about 400 times brighter than original expectations.[8] After being hidden in the Sun's glare during June and July as it came to solar conjunction on 2 July 2025,[9] the comet was spotted again in the morning sky, significantly brighter than predicted. On 12 August the comet had a coma about one arcminute across and an apparent magnitude of 13.9. By August 19, when the comet was 1.7 AU from the Sun, its total magnitude (nucleus+coma) was estimated to be 11, but the comet did not show an obvious tail.[10] A short spiky tail was visible in images from 25 August.[11] The future brightness of the comet is unknown, but the comet is not expected to have been in an outburst when it exited solar conjunction.

🧵(2/2) As always, here is are a starless version of the reprocessed data to enjoy the sheer beauty of the object.

#Astrophotography #Space #DeepSpace #Comet #Astronomy

C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is a non-periodic comet discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey in images obtained on 3 January 2025. It has an inbound orbital period of about 1,350 years and will pass perihelion on 8 November 2025 when it will be 0.53 AU (79 million km; 49 million mi) from the Sun. This perihelion passage will reduce the orbital period to about 1,150 years. It makes its closest approach to Earth on 21 October 2025 and may be visible to the naked eye 42 degrees from the Sun after sunset. As of 24 October 2025, the comet is about apparent magnitude 4.2,[3] and the nucleus and coma are visible in binoculars about 12 degrees above Arcturus and near the magnitude 2.5 star Izar. (The handle of the Big Dipper points towards Arcturus.) Both Arcturus and the comet may be visible in the same field of view using low power binoculars such as 7x35s.

🧵(1/2) Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon.I reprocessed my data to extract more of the tail. It's slightly better.

Shot taken on 2025-10-11 from my backyard.

🔭 William Optics Pleiades 111
📷 ZWO ASI 2600
Total exposure: 31 x 30s (15m30s)

#Astrophotography #Space #DeepSpace #Comet #Astronomy

Outstanding work. Bravo. What gear did you use if I may ask ?

Good work Gordon. This target is notoriously hard to squeeze detail out of 👍

Thanks Thomas 🙏

Thanks Emil 🙏

The Pleiades also known as Seven Sisters and Messier 45 (M45), is an asterism of an open star cluster containing young B-type stars in the northwest of the constellation Taurus. At a distance of about 444 light-years, it is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and the nearest Messier object to Earth, being the most obvious star cluster to the naked eye in the night sky. It contains the reflection nebulae NGC 1432, an HII region, and NGC 1435, known as the Merope Nebula. Around 2330 BC the Pleiades marked the vernal point. Due to the brightness of its stars, the Pleiades is viewable from most areas on Earth, even in locations with significant light pollution. The cluster is dominated by hot blue luminous stars that have formed within the last 100 million years. Reflection nebulae around the brightest stars were once thought to be leftover material from their formation, but are now considered likely to be an unrelated dust cloud in the interstellar medium through which the stars are currently passing. This dust cloud is estimated to be moving at a speed of approximately 18 km/s relative to the stars in the cluster. Computer simulations have shown that the Pleiades were probably formed from a compact configuration that once resembled the Orion Nebula. Astronomers estimate that the cluster will survive for approximately another 250 million years, after which the clustering will be lost due to gravitational interactions with the galactic neighbourhood. Together with the open star cluster of the Hyades, the Pleiades form the Golden Gate of the Ecliptic. The Pleiades have been said to "resemble a tiny dipper," and should not be confused with the "Little Dipper," or Ursa Minor.

The Pleiades (M45) AKA the Seven Sisters, in the northwest constellation Taurus. It is also the inspiration for the Subaru logo.

Shot taken on 2025-10-11 from my backyard.

🔭 William Optics Pleiades 111
📷 ZWO ASI 2600
Total exposure: 45 x 120s (1h30)

#Astrophotography #Space #DeepSpace #Astronomy

Starless version of C/2025 A6 (Lemmon), a non-periodic comet discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey in images obtained on 3 January 2025. It has an inbound orbital period of about 1,350 years and will pass perihelion on 8 November 2025 when it will be 0.53 AU (79 million km; 49 million mi) from the Sun. This perihelion passage will reduce the orbital period to about 1,150 years. It makes its closest approach to Earth on 21 October 2025 and may be visible to the naked eye 42 degrees from the Sun after sunset. As of 12 October 2025, the comet is about apparent magnitude 5.6,[6] and is visible in binoculars about 15 degrees (approximately one and a half fists) below the cup of the Big Dipper. It is currently about 2 degrees southwest of the star Psi Ursae Majoris.

A zoomed in view of Starless version of C/2025 A6 (Lemmon), a non-periodic comet discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey in images obtained on 3 January 2025. It has an inbound orbital period of about 1,350 years and will pass perihelion on 8 November 2025 when it will be 0.53 AU (79 million km; 49 million mi) from the Sun. This perihelion passage will reduce the orbital period to about 1,150 years. It makes its closest approach to Earth on 21 October 2025 and may be visible to the naked eye 42 degrees from the Sun after sunset. As of 12 October 2025, the comet is about apparent magnitude 5.6,[6] and is visible in binoculars about 15 degrees (approximately one and a half fists) below the cup of the Big Dipper. It is currently about 2 degrees southwest of the star Psi Ursae Majoris.

🧵(2/2) As always, here is are a starless version and a zoomed-in view of the comet to enjoy the sheer beauty of the object.

#Astrophotography #Space #DeepSpace #Comet #Astronomy

C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is a non-periodic comet discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey in images obtained on 3 January 2025. It has an inbound orbital period of about 1,350 years and will pass perihelion on 8 November 2025 when it will be 0.53 AU (79 million km; 49 million mi) from the Sun. This perihelion passage will reduce the orbital period to about 1,150 years. It makes its closest approach to Earth on 21 October 2025 and may be visible to the naked eye 42 degrees from the Sun after sunset. As of 12 October 2025, the comet is about apparent magnitude 5.6,[6] and is visible in binoculars about 15 degrees (approximately one and a half fists) below the cup of the Big Dipper. It is currently about 2 degrees southwest of the star Psi Ursae Majoris.

🧵(1/2) Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon is a non-periodic comet discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey on 3 January 2025.

Shot taken on 2025-10-11 from my backyard.

🔭 William Optics Pleiades 111
📷 ZWO ASI 2600
Total exposure: 31 x 30s (15m30s)

#Astrophotography #Space #DeepSpace #Comet #Astronomy

Yes indeed and in this case, it was done with a small telescope with a 61mm aperture and 300mm focal length

Thanks Susan 🙏