Proastrophotography Blog
Types of galaxies
Types of galaxies What is a galaxy? A galaxy is an immense group of billions of stars, interstellar gas and dust, and dark matter, all gravitationally bound. The Universe counts hundreds of billions of them. When has the first galaxy been observed/recognized? The first galaxy that has ever been observed is our Home Galaxy: the […]
Horsehead & Flame nebula
Horsehead & Flame nebula The Horsehead Nebula, also known as Barnard 33, is a celestial cloud that looks like the head of a horse from Earth. It is one of the most famous nebulae in the sky. It has been observed and recorded for the first time by the Scottish astronomer Williamina Fleming from the […]
Types of Nebulae
Nebulae are one of the most breathtaking sceneries that the sky offers to our eyes, either with a telescope, a pair of binoculars, or, if we are lucky, with our naked eyes. We have gathered in our gallery tens of professional astrophotos of nebulae. These images show a great diversity in the characteristics of these […]
The Butterfly Nebula (IC 1318)
Origin of name and discoverer The Butterfly Nebula, also known as IC 1318, the Gamma Cygni Nebula, and the Sadr Region, is a celestial object that lies in the heart of the Cygnus constellation. The nebula seems to be around the star Gamma Cygni, or Sadr (meaning “chest” in Arabic), at the center of the […]
The Pinwheel Galaxy (M101)
Origin of name and discoverer The Pinwheel Galaxy, also known as M101 and NGC 5457, is a Messier object, discovered in 1781 by the French astronomers Charles Messier and Pierre Méchain. It is the 101st object in the Messier catalog: a list of 110 non-comet diffuse astronomical objects that Charles Messier created in 1774 to […]
The Cone Nebula (NGC 2264)
Origin of name and discoverer NGC 2264, OCL 495, or LBN 911, is a region of the sky that officially refers to two distinct astronomical objects: the Cone Nebula and the Christmas Tree Cluster. These objects are in the vicinity of the Snowflake Cluster and the Fox Fur Nebula, unofficial components of NGC 2264. […]
The Pleiades
The Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, or more officially M45 and Melotte 22, is a group of stars in the Taurus constellation. It is an open star cluster that we find at 03h 47m 24s right ascension and +24° 07′ 00″ declination. It is only about 445 light-years away from us. The Pleiades is the jewel […]
The Cocoon Nebula (Sh2-125)
The Cocoon Nebula (Sh2-125) If you are observing by a clear-sky night, and far from light pollution, then point your telescope to 21h 53m 28.7s right ascension and +47° 16′ 01″ declination, in the Cygnus constellation. You will be face-to-face with a prominent nebula known as the Cocoon Nebula, Sh2-125, IC 5146, or Caldwell 19. […]
