Astrophotography Gallery

The Running Man Nebula is in the constellation Orion, and very close to the Orion Nebula. The nebula is about 1600 light years from Earth, so the image depicted here is from light that was emitted around 400 AD. The Running Man Nebula was first observed by William Herschel in 1786. The nebula has been described as a man or ghost running through the sky. The Running Man Nebula is a reflection nebula. The bright blue glow is caused by light from nearby bright stars reflecting off a dense cloud of dust and gases.

Taurus Apr 20 - May 20. In the year 1054 a neutron star in the region of the constellation Taurus exploded. The explosion was recorded by Chinese astronomers. The remnants of that supernova formed the Crab Nebula. About 6500 light years from Earth, it was first discovered by English physician and astronomer John Bevis in 1731. The Crab Nebula has the distinction of being the first object in Charles Messier’s catalog.