Astrophotography Gallery

Unlike most spiral galaxies, which have well-defined arms, the Sunflower Galaxy is a flocculent spiral galaxy. Discovered in 1779 by Pierre Mechain, the Sunflower Galaxy is 27 million light years from us in the constellation Canes Venatici. This galaxy is about the same size as the Milky Way Galaxy and contains 400 billion stars. The Sunflower Galaxy is part of the M 51 Galaxy Group, whose most prominent member is the grand design spiral Whirlpool Galaxy (M 51).

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.