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PLACE: Moccasin Lake, Winston, Georgia

INSTRUMENT: 14 Inch (36 cm) Meade LX200 SCT

FOCAL RATIO: f/6.3

ACCESSORIES: Meade 0.63x reducer

MOUNT: Meade Fork

CAMERA: SBIG ST-1001 ccd

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OBJECT: NGC 3496; Cr 237; OCL 836; C1057-600

CLASS: Open Cluster aka Galactic Cluster

CONSTELLATION: Carina

POSITION (2000.0): 10 59 34 -60 20.2

URANOMETRIA 2000.0 MAP: 199 L

DIAMETER: 7.0'

DISTANCE (parsecs): 1047

TYPE: II1r

MAGNITUDE: 8.2

MEMBERS: 110

REFERANCE: Star Clusters - Archinal & Hynes, 2003

DATE: May 8/9, 2015

TIME: 08:30 to 08:46 PM (local time)

PLACE: Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Namibia, Africa

INSTRUMENT: 12 Inch (30 cm) Meade LX200 SCT

FOCAL RATIO: f/6.3

ACCESSORIES: Meade 0.63x reducer

MOUNT: Meade Altazimuth

CAMERA: Canon 60Da

EXPOSURE: 10 minutes

SUBS: 15 seconds

ISO: 6400

OBJECT: NGC 4815; Cr 265; OCL 893; Mrk 27; C1254-646

CLASS: Open Cluster aka Galactic Cluster

CONSTELLATION: Musca

POSITION (2000.0): 12 57 59 -64 57.7

URANOMETRIA 2000.0 MAP: 209L

DIAMETER: 5.0'

DISTANCE (parsecs): ?

TYPE: I2r

MAGNITUDE: 8.6

MEMBERS: 100

REFERANCE: Star Clusters - Archinal & Hynes, 2003

DATE: May 25/26, 2015

TIME: 12:23 to 12:39 AM (local time)

PLACE: Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Namibia, Africa

INSTRUMENT: 12 Inch (30 cm) Meade LX200 SCT

FOCAL RATIO: f/6.3

ACCESSORIES: Meade 0.63x reducer

MOUNT: Meade Altazimuth

CAMERA: Canon 60Da

EXPOSURE: 10 minutes

SUBS: 15 seconds

ISO: 6400

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The Pelican Nebula (IC 5070), a beautiful emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, right next to the more famous North America Nebula.

This cosmic pelican is located about 1,800 light-years away and spans over 30 light-years across. The rich red and orange glow comes from hydrogen gas ionized by young, hot stars, while dark tendrils of interstellar dust carve out the nebula’s “beak” and “eye.” Within these clouds, new stars are actively forming, their radiation sculpting the surrounding gas into intricate shapes.

The Pelican Nebula is a favorite target for astrophotographers because of its fine textures and complex interplay of light and shadow. It’s part of a massive star-forming region in our Milky Way — a reminder that our galaxy is still hard at work building new suns.

From Earth, it’s just a tiny patch in the sky near Deneb, but through the camera and telescope, it becomes an epic landscape of creation and beauty.

Acquisition Details: 70mm Meade Quad APO Astrograph, AVX mount, QHY183C CMOS camera, Optolong L-eXtreme dual band narrowband filter, (126x120s) 4 hours 12 minutes of data taken on August 8, 2025. Processed using DSS, SAS, Ps.

OBJECT: NGC 4349: Cr 255; Mel 110; OCL 882; C1221-616

CLASS: Open Cluster aka Galactic Cluster

CONSTELLATION: Crux

POSITION (2000.0): 12 24 07 -61 52.2

URANOMETRIA 2000.0 MAP: 198L

DIAMETER: 4.0'

DISTANCE (parsecs): 859

TYPE: II2m

MAGNITUDE: 7.4

MEMBERS: 204

REFERANCE: Star Clusters - Archinal & Hynes, 2003

DATE: May 23/24, 2015

TIME: 11:47 PM to 12:05 AM (local time)

PLACE: Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Namibia, Africa

INSTRUMENT: 12 Inch (30 cm) Meade LX200 SCT

FOCAL RATIO: f/6.3

ACCESSORIES: Meade 0.63x reducer

MOUNT: Meade Altazimuth

CAMERA: Canon 60Da

EXPOSURE: 10 minutes

SUBS: 15 seconds

ISO: 6400

Messier 20 (Trifid Nebula) captured using the 1.8-metre PS1 telescope that operates the Pan-STARRS survey. The red is using the r (Red) filter, the blue is using the g (Green) filter, and the green is a synthetic combination of r and g. The colors are coded to look more "natural" to the visible light.

Data Credit: Pan-STARRS

Processing Credit: Addy

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PLACE: Moccasin Lake, Winston, Georgia

INSTRUMENT: 14 Inch (36 cm) Meade LX200 SCT

FOCAL RATIO: f/6.3

ACCESSORIES: Meade 0.63x reducer

MOUNT: Meade Fork

CAMERA: SBIG ST-1001 ccd

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OBJECT: NGC 4184; Ru 102; OCL 877; C1210-623

CLASS: Open Cluster aka Galactic Cluster

CONSTELLATION: Crux

POSITION (2000.0): 12 13.6 -52 42

URANOMETRIA 2000.0 MAP: 209L

DIAMETER: 2.0'

DISTANCE (parsecs): ?

TYPE: IV1p

MAGNITUDE: ?

MEMBERS: 20

REFERANCE: Star Clusters - Archinal & Hynes, 2003

DATE: May 23/24, 2015

TIME: 12:12 to 12:28 AM (local time)

PLACE: Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Namibia, Africa

INSTRUMENT: 12 Inch (30 cm) Meade LX200 SCT

FOCAL RATIO: f/6.3

ACCESSORIES: Meade 0.63x reducer

MOUNT: Meade Altazimuth

CAMERA: Canon 60Da

EXPOSURE: 10 minutes

SUBS: 15 seconds

ISO: 6400

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PLACE: Moccasin Lake, Winston, Georgia

INSTRUMENT: 14 Inch (36 cm) Meade LX200 SCT

FOCAL RATIO: f/6.3

ACCESSORIES: Meade 0.63x reducer

MOUNT: Meade Fork

CAMERA: SBIG ST-1001 ccd

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PLACE: Moccasin Lake, Winston, Georgia

INSTRUMENT: 14 Inch (36 cm) Meade LX200 SCT

FOCAL RATIO: f/6.3

ACCESSORIES: Meade 0.63x reducer

MOUNT: Meade Fork

CAMERA: SBIG ST-1001 ccd

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The Butterfly Nebula (IC 1318) is a gorgeous emission nebula in the heart of the constellation Cygnus, the Swan. Despite its name, it’s not a single object but a vast complex of glowing hydrogen gas and dark dust lanes, lying about 4,000–5,000 light-years away. The “butterfly” shape comes from these dark dust clouds cutting through the bright red emission, giving the appearance of delicate wings spread wide.

IC 1318 is located near the bright star Sadr (Gamma Cygni) located to the right of center in the shot below, which marks the Swan’s chest in the Summer Triangle asterism. This whole region is a stellar nursery, where new stars are forming inside dense molecular clouds. The light we see is powered by nearby hot, young stars whose ultraviolet radiation ionizes the hydrogen gas, causing it to glow in those rich crimson hues captured in long-exposure astrophotography.

Cygnus itself is one of the most rewarding areas of the summer sky, packed with nebulae, star clusters, and deep-sky treasures. Point a telescope or camera here, and you’re looking straight into one of the most crowded and active star-forming regions in our galaxy.

Acquisition Details: 70mm Meade Quad APO Astrograph, AVX mount, QHY183C CMOS camera, Optolong L-eXtreme dual band narrowband filter, (156x120s) 5 hours 12 minutes of data taken on August 9, 2025. Processed using DSS, SAS, Ps.