The Owl Nebula is a “planetary” nebula about 2,000 light years away and about 8,000 years old. Despite it’s name, the nebula has nothing to do with planets but due to its circular nature early astronomers thought it was a gas planet. The central star of the nebula is shedding its outer layers of hydrogen […]
Messier 51: The Whirlpool Galaxy
Another favourite galaxy from the Big Dipper! This time it’s Messier 51, widely known as the Whirlpool Galaxy… and sometimes the “Question Mark” Galaxy. It’s been almost a year since I’ve photographed M51, and my skills have definitely improved! Extremely happy to see the long dust trails that have escaped me in the past. Capture […]
Messier 101: Pinwheel Galaxy
Another clear moonless night turns into another night working on objects in the Big Dipper! M101 or the Pinwheel Galaxy is an annual favourite around this time of year. The nights are still long & dark, so more than 4 hours of data later I was able to capture more of the fainter arms of […]
NGC 3718 & Friends
It’s been more than a month since I’ve been able to open up the observatory nd get some clear skies. It’s an early kickoff to spring’s galaxy season with a new target – Galaxy NGC 3718. This distorted spiral galaxy is 52 million light years away and sits just below the pan of the big dipper […]