skypointer2000
Fire in the Sky
During my last layover in Los Angeles, I ventured out to a remote area of the Mojave High Desert and captured Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon).
Once the comet had set, I took advantage of the crystal-clear night to photograph this deepscape centered of the constellation Auriga - a region rich with fascinating nebulae and star clusters.
At the top of the frame, the brilliant Flaming Star Nebula (IC 405) and Tadpole Nebula (IC 410) dominate the view. These are active star-forming regions embedded within a vast H-II cloud complex that also includes the Spider Nebula (IC 417) and several Sharpless catalog entries (Sh2-231 through Sh2-235).
In the lower part of the image lies the delicate Spaghetti Nebula (Simeis 147 / Sh2-240) - the faint remnant of a supernova that exploded approximately 40,000 years ago. Spanning about 200 light-years and covering 3° of sky (six times the diameter of the full Moon), it harbors a pulsar discovered at its center in 1994.
Also visible are three Messier open clusters - M36, M37, and M38 - all discovered in 1654 by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Hodierna.
Finally, in the upper right corner resides a small yet intriguing object with a complex identity: PK 173-05.1 / LBN 809. Discovered in 1962 by Czech astronomer Luboš Kohoutek and originally classified as a planetary nebula, it was later reclassified as a reflection nebula, and subsequently also as irregular galaxy (PGC 16765) and an H-II region. Recent high-resolution observations by amateur astrophotographers - showing strong O-III emission - suggest that its original classification as a planetary nebula was probably correct, after all.
EXIF
Camera: Canon EOS-R, astro-modified by @EOS4astro
Lens: Samyang 135mm f/2.8
Filter: IDAS NBZ with Canon EF-EOS R drop-in adapter
Mount: Skywatcher Wave 150i
Autoguding: ZWO ASI 385MC with Artesky UltraGuide 32mm
Rig control: ZWO ASIAir Pro
Fire in the Sky
During my last layover in Los Angeles, I ventured out to a remote area of the Mojave High Desert and captured Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon).
Once the comet had set, I took advantage of the crystal-clear night to photograph this deepscape centered of the constellation Auriga - a region rich with fascinating nebulae and star clusters.
At the top of the frame, the brilliant Flaming Star Nebula (IC 405) and Tadpole Nebula (IC 410) dominate the view. These are active star-forming regions embedded within a vast H-II cloud complex that also includes the Spider Nebula (IC 417) and several Sharpless catalog entries (Sh2-231 through Sh2-235).
In the lower part of the image lies the delicate Spaghetti Nebula (Simeis 147 / Sh2-240) - the faint remnant of a supernova that exploded approximately 40,000 years ago. Spanning about 200 light-years and covering 3° of sky (six times the diameter of the full Moon), it harbors a pulsar discovered at its center in 1994.
Also visible are three Messier open clusters - M36, M37, and M38 - all discovered in 1654 by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Hodierna.
Finally, in the upper right corner resides a small yet intriguing object with a complex identity: PK 173-05.1 / LBN 809. Discovered in 1962 by Czech astronomer Luboš Kohoutek and originally classified as a planetary nebula, it was later reclassified as a reflection nebula, and subsequently also as irregular galaxy (PGC 16765) and an H-II region. Recent high-resolution observations by amateur astrophotographers - showing strong O-III emission - suggest that its original classification as a planetary nebula was probably correct, after all.
EXIF
Camera: Canon EOS-R, astro-modified by @EOS4astro
Lens: Samyang 135mm f/2.8
Filter: IDAS NBZ with Canon EF-EOS R drop-in adapter
Mount: Skywatcher Wave 150i
Autoguding: ZWO ASI 385MC with Artesky UltraGuide 32mm
Rig control: ZWO ASIAir Pro