Venus and Mercury have been sharing space in the evening sky recently. This shot was taken along Route 66, east of Flagstaff. Venus-Mercury Conjunction - 8 January 2015 - 6:01PM (9 January 2015 - 0101 UT) I haven't made a trip to a dark sky location to observe, sketch and...
Diffuse Nebula Category
Photograph of Winter Milky Way over Sunset Craterwith sketches of deep sky objects in the area. Move mouse over sketch above to see where each deep sky object resides.Click image for larger version. Click here for larger version without call-out lines.. . . . . Other Print Versions: Vertical...
Click above image for larger version. Rollover Comparison Graphic: Move your cursor over this image to see comparison photo. (Comparison photo courtesy of NOAO/AURA/NSF and STScI/AURA/NASA.) Observation Notes: It's been nearly a year since my first observation of Barnard 33, and I wanted to have another serious go at it....
Observation Notes: Barnard 34 lies about 1.5 degrees west of M37. Compared to some others I tried to locate earlier, including Barnard 5, this one was easy to spot. For a dark nebula. It appeared as a very soft hole in the Milky Way starlight behind it. The main...
Sketch of Barnard 142/143 (Barnard's E)Click image to view larger version. Observation Notes Barnard's E was a beautiful binocular sight amid the mist of stars in the Milky Way. In addition to the three arms and upper stem of the 'E', there were additional faint points and webbed extensions primarily...
Click image for larger version. The above sketch is an update to the original 37X version to clean it up and update formatting. The original is shown below. Observation Notes: At 37X, M1 is a smudge with soft, but not diffuse edges. It seems to be elongated northwest to southeast....
Click above image for large version. Observation Notes: M8 has been on my list of "ambitious" sketches to do or re-do for a few months now. I observed and sketched it nearly 2 years ago, and have been waiting for the right opportunity this summer. I tried observing and sketching...
Click image for larger version. Observation Notes: Deep in the bright heart of the Lagoon Nebula lies a knot of fluorescing gas called the Hourglass Nebula. While observing at Kitt Peak Observatory's Advanced Observer's Program with four good friends, I enjoyed a couple minutes boring into the Lagoon with the...
Click image for larger version. Observation Notes: This is the time of year when M16, The Eagle Nebula, is at its best...and the summer monsoon is at its worst. I drove out to Anderson Mesa for a long evening with M16 and some of its neighbors. An early evaporation of...
Click above image to view larger sketch. Observation Notes: From Anderson Mesa, this nebula appears much larger than the typical swan shape that I see from home--even without the UltraBlock filter. The back of the swan is the brightest portion with the neck second brightest. The head appears to have...
Click image for larger version. The above sketch is an redraw of the original to clean it up, remove color cast, and update formatting. The original is shown below. Observation Notes: M20 is a beautiful, two-lobed nebula. The southern lobe had a double-star at its core. The northern lobe had...
Observation Notes: Tonight, I thought I would try resolving M33 a bit more. After a brief look in the 32 mm eyepiece, where I noted mottling, I switched to the 10 mm EP. At first, I felt lost. But as I panned around, gradually the core became obvious, and...
Sketch of Messier 42 and Messier 43 (Orion Nebula)Click image for larger version. Observation Notes: In my ongoing effort to refine my observation and sketches of M42/43, I made a new sketch on January 14. I used most of the previously sketched star field as a starting point so I...
Click image for larger version. The above sketch is an update to the original to clean it up and update formatting. The original is shown below. Observation Notes: This appeared as a cup-shaped nebula surrounding two stars which are aligned north to south. The arrangement looks like two vessels plowing...
Sketch of NGC 2024 (The Flame Nebula)Click image to view larger version. Observation Notes This year, I finally had opportunities to observe and sketch this amazing nebula in detail. The Flame Nebula snuggles the piercing glare of Zeta Orionis (Alnitak) and at first glance really does look like ghosting in...
Sketch of NGC 2244 (NGC 2239) and Sh 2-275 (Rosette Nebula)Click image to view larger version. Observation Notes: If you find yourself at a dark site with Orion and Monoceros sprawled across the meridian, don't pass up this gorgeous showpiece of the winter sky. While at Sunset Crater National Monument,...
Move mouse over sketch to see labels. Click image for larger version. Observation Notes The observing highlight of the evening atop Haleakala was gazing through my binoculars at the rich starscape in the vicinity of Eta Carinae. I had not done any homework on the area beforehand, so I...
Click sketch to view larger image. Observation Notes Since I originally made this observation close to two years ago, I've been a little concerned by a few of the features I portrayed in the sketch. The elongation of unresolved stars in NGC 6520 didn't seem to be aligned correctly,...
Sketch of NGC 6888 (The Crescent Nebula)Click image for larger version. Observation Notes: The Crescent Nebula doesn't exactly jump out at you in the eyepiece. Some patience, averted vision, tapping/nudging of the telescope, and a dark sky are required. I observed this one from my front yard with an SQM...
NGC 6960 NGC 6992 and NGC 6995 Move mouse over images to see photographic overlays of the Veil Nebula.NGC 6960 Rollover photograph courtesy of: T. Rector/University of Alaska Anchorage and WIYN/NOAO/AURA/NSFNGC 6992 Rollover photograph courtesy of: N.A.Sharp, REU program/NOAO/AURA/NSF Observation Notes: This was my first view of the Veil Nebula...
Click image to view larger version. Observation Notes From a dark location with a good pair of binoculars, this rich, starry field is filled with a tapestry of nebulosity. While staying at Flying W Guest Ranch in Oklahoma, I found myself sitting under the stars one clear, dark evening. I...
Move mouse over image for labels. Click image for larger, unlabeled version. Observation Notes: Near the end of a great all-night observing session, the Milky Way was an impressive sight along the eastern horizon. I wanted to catch some of the dark nebulae in Ophiuchus, particularly the Pipe Nebula....
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