M82 Nucleus

Just by looking at the nuclei you can tell that M82 is no ordinary galaxy. Normally, you would expect one nucleus, but here we see something different. It appears to have been shattered by some violent event. Some have even captured ejecta with longer exposures.

South Polar Region of the Moon

I just love looking at the craters on the moon. To think that the earth has undergone just as many impacts is mind boggling.

M17

Not too far from M16, M17, the Swan nebula is yet another star forming region.

M100

Galaxy interaction is thought to be the mechanism for the formation of spiral arms.

NGC 891

NGC 891 is an edge on galaxy which gives us a unique perspective of galaxies. We can see that it is disc shaped with a bulge in the center. Running through the center of the galaxy is a black line, which is dust obstructing our view.

Here's Looking at you

This is the bubble planetary nebula, which kind of resembles the human eye. The circular shape is the result of the stellar wind pushing the hydrogen outward. Near the star you can see the most recent release of gas. Farther out you can see more nebulocity, indicating that the star has been releasing gases in phases.

This is another planetery nebula releasing its gasses. You can see the central star that created it.

Triangulum galaxy in S&T

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/gallery/search?page=2&c=y&keywords=M33&archive=true

Lagoon Nebula photos from S&T

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/gallery/search?page=2&c=y&keywords=lagoon&archive=true

M33

This is the most detailed picture of a galaxy that I have taken so far. I was expecting the Triangulum Galaxy to be blan like the Andromeda, but obviously this is not so. The spiral structure is clearly visible with gas clouds and star clusters.

Eagle Nebula

Taken 6-15-05. I let my camera stack pictures all night and it paid off. This is over an hour of total exposure. I was surprised at how much detail was visible just in the raw image. It reminds me of The Pillars of Creation that the HST captured.

M27 Dumbell Nebula

The dumbell nebula is one of the most spectacular planetary nebulas in my opinion. You can see two shells of expanding gas in opposite directions. All class G stars die in this manner. This is the fate of our sun as well.

The first astronomical object that I ever viewed was the moon. It is still my favorite because of the amount of detail visible.

M42 The Orion Nebula

When I first viewed the orion nebula with my 70 mm refractor only the trapezium, the central stars, were visible. With larger scopes the faint glowing gas surrounding it is visible as well. Taken 9-9-05.

M13 Hercules Globular Cluster

Taken 7-17-2005. I took this image a couple of years after I purchased my 10" telescope. I was left breathless by how many stars I was able to see. Before it was only a fuzzy ball of light, but now individual stars were resolveable with the larger scope. This is where arecibo sent out a signal in hopes of it reaching a civilization. So many stars in one spot will up the chances of success. Unfortunateley, about a thousand years will pass before we get any reply.

M31 Andromeda Galaxy

The andromeda galaxy was the first galaxy that I have ever found. In the scope it was only a fuzzy ball of light with dimmer nebulocity around it. I remember how excited I was to find it for the very first time. Each time I observed it I would notice more and more faint detail. I practiced averted vision, dark adaption, and relaxing the gaze to dialate the pupil on this target. Taken 7-30-05.

M81 Bodes Galaxy

If you are lucky, you can get both M81 and M82 in the same field of view. M81 is fairly bright as well. However, you can only see the spiral structure in photographs. Taken 2-5-06

M82

M82, The Cigar galaxy is the second galaxy that I have found, second to Andromeda galaxy. It is bright enough to see visually with the telescope and some structure is visible in it too.