Astrophotography Gallery

The Rosette Nebula is in the constellation Monoceros. The nebula is about 5200 light years from Earth. The nebula, which got its name from a resemblance to a red rose, was discovered by John Flamsteed around 1690. In 2019, the Rosette Nebula was named the State Astronomical Object of the State of Oklahoma. A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust and gases such as hydrogen and oxygen. Interstellar dust and gases are pulled together to form the cloud we see. As these clouds condense, new stars can be formed. The prominent red color we see in the Rosette Nebula is due to hydrogen gas which has been ionized by the stars in the center of the nebula.

Pisces - Feb 19 - Mar 20. The spiral Pinwheel Galaxy is between 20 and 27 million light years from us in the constellation Pisces. That means that the light we see was emitted over 20 million years ago and took that long (at the speed of light!) to travel to Earth. The Pinwheel Galaxy is a cluster of around a trillion stars held together by gravity. It’s a spiral galaxy with a central bulge of stars and arms of stars, dust and gases. The entire galaxy is rotating together. Hotter stars appear white or blue, while cooler stars appear red or brown.