Nebulae / Galaxies images (Click 'Shop' tab above to buy)

LDN-43, (also known as The Cosmic Bat Nebula) astonishing resembles a cosmic bat flying amongst the stars on a dark Halloween night. Located about 1400 light years away in the constellation Ophiuchus, this molecular cloud is dense enough to block light not only from background stars, but from wisps of gas lit up. This 12-light year-long filament of gas and dust is actually a stellar nursery. Glowing with eerie light,             the bat is lit up from inside by dense gaseous knots that have just formed new young stars.

The Pelican Nebula (IC5070), is located 1,800 light years from earth in Cygnus.  It’s apparent magnitude is 8.0. The Pelican is much studied because it has a particularly active mix of star formation and evolving gas clouds. Light from young energetic stars is slowly transforming cold gas to hot and causing an ionization front gradually to advance outward. The foreground is a molecular cloud filled with dark dust.

IC1795, (also known as the Fish Head Nebula, is found in the the constellation Cassiopeia. It is an extension of the heart nebula. IC1795 is a huge star forming system of gas and dust located along the Perseus spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy.  UV radiation excites the surrounding gas and causes it shine much the same way as a neon light emits its colorful hues. The nebula is located in the constellation Cassiopeia approximately 6000 

light-years from the Earth and has a magnitude of 7.0,  a fairly bright object.

The Flaming Star Nebula is an emission and reflection nebula in the constellation Auriga, surrounding 

  the bluish star AE Aurigae.  It surrounds the irregular variable star AE Aurigae and is located near the 

emission nebula IC 410, the open clusters M38 and M36. The nebula measures approximately 37.0' x 19.0' and lies about 1,500 light-years away from Earth. It is believed that the proper motion of the central                                                star can be traced back to the Orion's Belt area. 

IC 434 is a bright emission nebula in the constellation Orion. It was discovered on February 1, 1786 by William Herschel. The Horsehead Nebula is a dark nebula silhouetted against it.  It is located 1,500 light years from earth with a magnitude of 7.3.  The nebula is located just to the south of Alnitak, the easternmost star of Orion's Belt, and is part of the much larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. It appears within the southern region of the dense dust cloud known as Lynds 1630, along the edge of the much larger, active star-forming H II region called IC 434. Color images reveal a deep-red color that originates from ionized hydrogen gas (Hα).

The Flame Nebula is located just to the left of Alnitak which is the 1st star of the left in Orion’s belt. The Flame Nebula is an emission nebula. The star Alnitak is shinning its 

   ultraviolet light into the clouds of hydrogen gas.  This illuminates the clouds through ionization. Additional dark gas and dark dust lanes lie in front of the nebula giving it the dark network of glowing gas throughout the nebula.

CED214, Ced214 is around 2740 light years away in the constellation Cepheus.  Embedded in this narrowband SHO image is the open 

  cluster Berkeley 59, which is causing the nebula to glow.  The nebula is an active star forming region, forming stars of relatively small mass. Also called Sharpless 171, Cederblad 214 is a young emission nebula with a diameter of about 40 light-years. Its visibility is fueled by the glow of hot young stars. It probably represents a

      second  generation of young stars whose formation was created by this vast cloud of expanding gas.                                                                CED214 is about 6000 light years from earth.  

NGC1333 is a reflection nebula located in the northern constellation Perseus, positioned next to the 

 southern constellation border with Taurus and Aries. The nebula is visible as a hazy patch in a small telescope, while a larger aperture will show a pair of dark nebulae designated Barnard 1 and Barnard 2. It is associated with a dark cloud L1450 (Barnard 205). Estimates of the distance to this nebula range from 980–1,140 ly. It contains a 

  fairly typical hierarchy of star clusters that are still embedded in the molecular cloud in which they formed.

CED214, Ced214 is around 2740 light years away in the constellation Cepheus.  Embedded in it is the open 

  cluster Berkeley 59, which is causing the nebula to glow.  The nebula is an active star forming region, forming stars of relatively small mass. Also called Sharpless 171, Cederblad 214 is a young emission nebula with a diameter of about 40 light-years. Its visibility is fueled by the glow of hot young stars. It probably represents a

      second  generation of young stars whose formation was created by this vast cloud of expanding gas.                                                                Ced 214 is about 6000 light years from earth.  

IC443, (also known as The Jelly Fish Nebula) is a galactic supernova remnant in the constellation Gemini.

     Its distance is roughly 5,000 light years from Earth at a magnitude of 12.0.  IC 443 is one of the 

 best-studied cases of supernova remnants interacting with surrounding molecular clouds. In the northeast, where the brightest optical filaments are located, the SNR is interacting with a very different environment. The forward shock has encountered a wall of neutral hydrogen (HI).

NGC2359 (also known as Thor's Helmet) is an emission nebula in the constellation Canis Major.

  The central star is the Wolf-Rayet star WR7, an extremely hot star thought to be in a brief pre-supernova stage of evolution. The nebula has an overall bubble shape, but with complex filamentary structures. The nebula contains several hundred solar masses of ionized material, plus several thousand more of unionized gas. It is 

 largely interstellar material swept up by winds from the central star, although some material does appear to be  enriched with the products of fusion and is likely to come directly from the star. Thor’s Helmet is located about 15,000 light years from earth at a magnitude of 11.45.

NGC7635 also known as the Bubble Nebula, is an H II region emission nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia. It has an apparent magnitude of 10.0 and is located 11,000 ly from earth. The "bubble" is created by the stellar wind from a massive hot, 8.7 magnitude young central star. The nebula is near a giant molecular cloud which 

contains the expansion of the bubble nebula while itself being excited by the hot central star, causing it to glow.

NGC6888 is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, about 5000 light-years away from Earth. It 

    has an apparent magnitude of 7.4  It is formed by the fast stellar wind from the Wolf-Rayet star WR 136 

   colliding with and energizing the slower moving wind ejected by the star when it became a red giant star. 

     The result of the collision is a shell and two shock waves, one moving outward and one moving inward. 

The Rosette Nebula is a large spherical H II region in a giant molecular cloud located in Monoceros. The open cluster of stars NGC2244 can be seen in the middle of the nebula. These stars were formed from the nebulas matter!  The nebula is very dense in hydrogen alpha which is is displayed in the 

     deep reds of color.  Located 5,200      light years from earth, this nebula measure 130 light years in diameter!  It has an apparent magnitude of 9.0.

NGC 281, is a bright emission nebula and part of an H II region in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia and is more than 9,500 light years from earth. It is part of the Milky Way's Perseus Spiral Arm. This 20×30 arcmin sized nebulosity is also associated with open cluster IC 1590, several Bok globules and the multiple star, B 1.  NGC 281 is also known as the Pacman Nebula for its resemblance to the video game character.

Sh2-279 (alternatively designated S279 or Sharpless 279) is an HII region and bright nebulae that includes a reflection nebula located in the constellation Orion. It is the northernmost part of the asterism known as Orion's Sword, lying 0.6° north of the Orion Nebula. The reflection nebula embedded in Sh2-279 is popularly known as the Running Man Nebula. Sh2-279 comprises three NGC nebulae, NGC 1973, NGC 1975, and NGC 1977[4] that are divided by darker nebulous regions. It also includes the open cluster NGC 1981.

NGC 1491 (also designated Sharpless SH2-206) is a bright emission nebula and HII region, located on the edge of a vast cloud region of neutral gas, about 10,700 light-years away in the Perseus arm of our Milky Way galaxy. The stellar wind from the O5V 11.2 magnitude star (BD +50 886) at its center is forming a blister in the gas clouds immediately surrounding it while also eroding the gas clouds. HII regions are well known for being places where new stars are born, and are created when ultraviolet radiation from hot stars ionizes the surrounding gas, causing it to glow in visible and infrared light. This is a very faint nebula and required over 14 hours of imaging in narrowband to reveal the detail across the entire nebula.

 IC1805,  (The Heart Nebula)  The Heart Nebula (also known as the Running dog  nebula, IC1805, Sharpless 2-190, is an emission nebula 7500 light years  away from Earth and located in the Perseus Arm of the Galaxy in the  constellation Cassiopeia. The nebula's intense red output and its  morphology are driven by the radiation emanating from a small group of  stars near the nebula's center. The Heart Nebula is also made up of  ionized oxygen and sulfur gasses, responsible for the rich blue and  orange colors seen in narrowband images.

The Orion Nebula is located about 1,344 light  years from earth.  It is a diffuse nebula situated in our Milky Way  Galaxy just South of Orion’s belt.  Orion is one of the brightest 

   nebula  in the night sky and can be seen visually even in night skies that have  some light pollution. The nebula is so large it expands 24 light years  across. The center of Orion,  The Trapezium), is where new stars can be  seen that are being born. Off to the left is the Running Man Nebula (NGC1977).

The Tadpole Nebula (IC 410), is an 

HII region located approximately 12,400 light-years from earth. It measures more than 100 light-years across and is located in the northern constellation Auriga.  It is associated with the young open cluster NGC 1893. The cluster has  an apparent magnitude of 7.5 and an apparent size of 11 arc minutes. 

The dusty emission nebula  IC 410 is ionized by five hot, blue, O-type stars. These massive stars are believed to be the main sources of  ionization in the region. They emit high-energy ultraviolet protons that  excite the nebula and make it glow.

 The  Rosette Nebula 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 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. 

Imaged here in HOO, SH2-308 is commonly known as the Dolphin-Head Nebula. It is an H II region located near the center of the constellation Canis Major, composed of ionized hydrogen. The nebula is bubble-like and surrounds a Wolf–Rayet star named EZ Canis Majoris. This star is in the brief, pre-Supernova phase of its stellar evolution. The nebula is about 4,530 light-years away from Earth but some sources indicate that both the star and the nebula are up to  5,870 light years away.

The Owl Nebula (also known as M97 or NGC 3587) is a planetary nebula approximately 2,030 light years away in the constellation Ursa Major. It is estimated to be about 8,000 years old and is approximately circular in cross-section with a faint internal structure. It was formed from the outflow of material from the stellar wind of the central star as it evolved. The nebula is arranged in three concentric shells, with the outermost shell being about 20–30% larger than the inner shell. The owl-like appearance of the nebula is the result of an inner shell that is not circularly symmetric. 

M33, The Triagulum Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy 2.73 million light-years from Earth in the constellation 

   Triangulum.  The Triangulum Galaxy is the third-largest member of the Local Group of galaxies, behind the 

 Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Pinwheel Galaxy". M33 has a magnitude of 5.72 and has ~ 40 billion stars.  Under exceptionally good viewing conditions with no light pollution, the Triangulum Galaxy can be seen with the 20/20 vision naked eye,

M104, known as the Sombrero Galaxy, is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo (31.1 million light-years ) from Earth. The galaxy has a diameter of approximately (49,000 light-years), 30% the size of the Milky Way. It has a bright nucleus, an unusually large central bulge, and a prominent dust lane in its inclined disk. The dark dust 

 lane and the bulge give this galaxy the appearance of a sombrero hat. The galaxy has an apparent magnitude of  +8.0, making it easily visible with amateur telescopes.  Its large bulge, its central supermassive black hole, and its dust lane all attract the attention of professional astronomers.  

M101, known as the Pinwheel galaxy, is a face-on spiral galaxy distanced 21 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major. M101 is a large galaxy, with a diameter of 170,000 light-years. By 

    comparison, the Milky Way has a diameter of 258,000 light years. It has around a trillion stars, twice the 

  number in our Milky Way. It has a disk mass on the order of 100 billion solar masses, along with a small    

central bulge of about 3 billion solar masses. M101 has a high population of H II regions, many of which are very large and bright. H II regions usually accompany the enormous clouds of high density molecular hydrogen gas contracting under their own gravitational force where stars form.  

M81 a galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. It is are also known as Bode’s galaxy.  It is located approximately 10 deg. northwest of the "Big Dipper" pointer star Dubhe  (Alpha Ursae Majoris). It is one of the largest members of the M81 Group, a physical association of of 34 galaxies. The galaxy lies at an approximate distance of 11.8 million light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 6.94.

M63, known as the Sunflower Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy in the northern constellation of Canes Venatici. This galaxy has a morphological classification of SAbc, indicating a spiral shape with no central bar feature and moderate to loosely wound arms. M63 is an active galaxy with a LINER nucleus. This displays as an unresolved 

       nuclear source wrapped in a diffuse emission. The distance to M63, based upon the luminosity-distance  measurement is 29.3 million light-years. Its apparent magnitude is 9.3.  In 1971, a supernova with a magnitude of 

 11.8 appeared in one of the arms of M63. The existence of a super massive black hole at the nucleus is uncertain.

M51, known as the Whirlpool, is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic 

   nucleus. Found in the constellation Canes Venatici, and was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy. Its distance is estimated to be 23 million light-years away from Earth. The galaxy and its companion, NGC 5195, are easily observed by amateur astronomers, and the two galaxies may be seen with binoculars. Long exposures  reveal a large nebula extending beyond the visible circular appearance. The spiral structure of the Whirlpool is believed to be the result of the close interaction between it and its companion galaxy NGC 5195, which may have passed through the main disk of M51 about 500 to 600 million years ago.

M31, known as the Andromeda Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy approximately (2.54 million light-years) from Earth, and the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way.   The galaxy's name stems from the area of the Earth's sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda. Its magnitude is 3.44 and can be seen by the naked eye on moonless nights even from a moderate light polluted area. The Andromeda Galaxy has a diameter of about 220,000 light-years roughly 1.5 times larger than our Milky Way and has ~ 1 trillion stars. The Andromeda Galaxy was formed roughly 10 billion years ago from the collision and subsequent merger of smaller  protogalaxies. Over the past 2 billion years, star formation throughout Andromeda's disk is thought to have decreased to the point of near-inactivity. There have been interactions with satellite galaxies like M32, M110, or others that have already been absorbed by Andromeda Galaxy.

This particular image was taken by astronomers David Collings at the Blue Ridge Observatory in Sparta, NC. and good friend David Reagan from Johnson City, TN. This collaboration produced incredible details of the Leo Triplet and captured the Tidal Tail of NGC3627.

The Leo Triplet (also known as the M66 Group) is a small group of galaxies about 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. This galaxy group consists of the spiral galaxies M65, M66, and NGC 3628. The brightest member M66, also known as NGC 3627, is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the equatorial constellation of Leo. M65 and M66 make a popular pair for observers, being separated by only 20 arc minutes. The Tidal Tail seen in the image is approximately 300,000 light Years long and very difficult to image!

NGC4631,  known as the Whale Galaxy, is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. This 

      galaxy's slightly distorted wedge shape gives it the appearance of a herring or a whale, hence its nickname. Because this nearby galaxy is seen edge-on from Earth, professional astronomers observe this galaxy to better understand the gas and stars  located outside the plane of the galaxy. NGC 4631 contains a central starburst, 

    which is a region of intense star formation. The strong star formation is evident in the emission from ionized hydrogen and interstellar dust heated by the stars formed in the starburst.  This galaxy is located about 30 million light years from earth at a magnitude of 9.8.

M106,  or NGC4258, is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici.   M106 is at a distance of about 22 to 25 million light-years away from Earth. M106 contains an active nucleus classified as a Type 2 Seyfert, and the presence of a central supermassive black hole. M106 has a water vapor megamaser that is seen by the evidences of dense and warm molecular gas. These water vapors give M106 its characteristic purple color. It is one of the largest and brightest nearby galaxies, similar in size and luminosity to the Andromeda Galaxy. The supermassive black hole at the core has a mass of (3.9±0.1)×107 M☉.

NGC4725 is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy with a prominent ring structure, located in the northern 

  constellation of Coma Berenices near the north galactic pole.  This galaxy is strongly disturbed and is 

  interacting with neighboring spiral galaxy NGC 4747, with its spiral arms showing indications of warping. 

    The ring structure of the galaxy is a region of star formation. It is offset from the galactic center and displays 

 non-circular motion. It is a suspected type 2 Seyfert galaxy with a supermassive black hole at the core.

M31, known as the Andromeda Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy approximately (2.54 million light-years) from Earth, and the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way.   The galaxy's name stems from the area of the Earth's sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda. Its magnitude is 3.44 and can be seen by the naked eye on moonless nights even from a moderate light polluted area. The Andromeda Galaxy has a diameter of about 220,000 light-years roughly 1.5 times larger than our Milky Way and has ~ 1 trillion stars. The Andromeda Galaxy was formed roughly 10 billion years ago from the collision and subsequent merger of smaller  protogalaxies. Over the past 2 billion years, star formation throughout Andromeda's disk is thought to have decreased to the point of near-inactivity. There have been interactions with satellite galaxies like M32, M110, or others that have already been absorbed by Andromeda Galaxy.

 earth at a magnitude of 9.8.

M100, Messier 100 (also known as NGC 4321) is a grand design intermediate spiral galaxy in the southern part of the mildly northern Coma Berenices. It is one of the brightest and largest galaxies in the Virgo Cluster and is approximately 55 million light-years from our galaxy.  NGC 4323 and NGC 4328 are satellite galaxies of M100; the

 former is connected with it by a bridge of luminous matter. Messier 100 is considered a starburst galaxy with the strongest star formation activity concentrated in its center, within a ring – actually two tightly wound spiral  arms attached to a small nuclear bar.

Messier 22 or M22, also known as NGC 6656, is an elliptical globular cluster of stars in the constellation Sagittarius, near the Galactic bulge region. It is one of the brightest globulars visible in the night sky with more than 83,000 stars. The brightest stars are 11th magnitude, with hundreds of stars bright enough to resolve with an 8" telescope. It is just south of the sun's position in mid-December, and northwest of Lambda Sagittarii (Kaus Borealis), the northernmost star of the "Teapot" asterism.

NGC 4725 is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy with a prominent ring structure, located in the northern constellation of Coma Berenices near the north galactic pole. NGC 4725 is a suspected type 2 Seyfert galaxy with a supermassive black hole at the core. The morphological classification of this galaxy is SAB(r)ab pec, indicating a peculiar, weakly-barred spiral galaxy (SAB) with a complete ring surrounding the bar (r) and somewhat tightly-wound spiral arms

The Antennae Galaxies (also known as NGC 4038/NGC 4039 are a pair of interacting galaxies in the constellation Corvus. They are currently going through a starburst phase, in which the collision of clouds of gas and dust, with entangled magnetic fields, causes rapid star formation. The nuclei of the two galaxies are joining to become one giant galaxy. Most galaxies probably undergo at least one significant collision in their lifetimes. 

This image was taken using an Ha filter to capture the lower right limb. The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a massive, hot ball of plasma, inflated and heated by energy produced by nuclear fusion reactions at its core. Part of this internal energy is emitted from its surface as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radiation, providing most of the energy for life on Earth.

The Sun moves around the Galactic Center of the Milky Way, at a distance of 26,660 light-years. 

The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a massive, hot ball of plasma, inflated and heated by energy produced by nuclear fusion reactions at its core. Part of this internal energy is emitted from its surface as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radiation, providing most of the energy for life on Earth.

The Sun moves around the Galactic Center of the Milky Way, at a distance of 26,660 light-years.  Its diameter is about 1,391,400 km (864,600 mi; 4.64 ls), 109 times that of Earth or 4 lunar distances. Its mass is about 330,000 times that of Earth, making up about 99.86% of the total mass of the Solar System. Roughly three-quarters of the Sun's mass consists of hydrogen (~73%); the rest is mostly helium (~25%), with much smaller quantities of heavier elements, including oxygen, carbon, neon, and iron.