iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

This is LBN 438, a photoluminescence nebula in Lacerta that was captured with my OSC setup. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/1f9ach #astrophotography

A bright red/orange "head" in upper left center with a diagonal streaming to lower right side. Soft glow of red nebulosity surrounds the steamer.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

This is part of the supernova remnant in Cygnus that is rightfully called Fleming’s Triangle, discovered by Williamina Fleming in 1904 on a photographic plate at the Harvard College Observatory. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/fwb0jq #astrophotography

Bright red, green/blue, and cream filaments stretching from lower left to upper right corner in a triangular form.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

This is a wide field image of several of the most popular targets in the North American summer sky, including M8, the Lagoon Nebula, and M20, the Triffid, combining both vivid color and the emissions nebula signal. More details in my gallery: #astrophotography app.astrobin.com/i/n95ccs?r=B

Bright red/orange nebula in a V pattern with a bright blue "cap" on the circular nebula in the top right corner.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

This is the reflection nebula NGC6914 surrounded by the expansive nebulosity in Cygnus, captured with the hybrid Spectral Pro filter over two nights. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/r2wtdf?r=C #astrophotography

Three central bright blue nebulas surrounded by bright red nebulas with several dark areas interspersed.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

This is the expanding bubble in Cygnus around Wolf-Rayet star 134 (WR134), about 6000 light years away, captured with the AT115EDT, the Spectral Pro filter, and the ASI2600MC. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/a6pdx7 #astrophotography

Circular blue, red and cream colored filaments in the center with bright red nebulosity streaming in from left side and in a diagonal below from bottom left to upper right.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

This is a partial dim supernova remnant in Cygnus (SH2-91) of a much larger remnant that I posted last week. More details are in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/rdtbmv #astrophotography

Bright blue/green and red filaments stretching and curving from top left to top right, including a bright blue filament curving to the center of the image.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

This large and dim supernova remnant in Cygnus, including SH2-91 and SH2-94, is imbedded in a very dense Milky Way starfield. It was captured with 11.5 hours of exposures with the 51mm Redcat and the ASI2600MC. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/ie9mco #astrophotography

Large blue and red oval nebulosity with additional subdued colorful nebulosity in middle of the oval.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

This is a closeup of the emission and reflection nebulas surrounding Alniyat in Scorpius. It is a favorite target for me in early summer as it moves between two rooflines for less than three hours in the south from my backyard. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/bdjlkr #astrophotography

A bright blue star (Alniyat) in center surrounded by blue nebulosity with a large diagonal red-orange nebula stretching from top center to bottom right of the image.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

The cold molecular foreground dust hides the Milky Way stars behind it, creating the Snake Nebula. In this orientation to me it also looks like a man with a handlebar mustache with eyes looking out at the astrophotographer. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/7255ko #astrophotography

A dark S figure on its side in the center, with two small circular forms above the S, with a bright field of stars framing these dark areas.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

This wide field view of the summer Milky Way is centered on the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud and includes the Lagoon, Trifid, Swan and Eagle Nebulas among others, all of which are captured in closer detail in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/f1w3t4?r=0 #astrophotography

The image includes a series of bright emissions nebulas starting in lower right corner diagonally extending to the upper left corner, centered on a bright star cloud.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

This is the Horsehead Nebula in Scorpius, a beautiful reflection nebula captured over 5 nights with 8.5 hours total exposure using the Redcat 51 telescope with the new Spectral Pro filter and a color camera. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/ulm5wh #astrophotography

Bright blue diagonal horsehead figure from lower left to upper right, with red/brown nebula in the upper right side of the figure.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

IC 4604 is a bright blue reflection nebula in the northern part of the Rho Ophiuchi molecular cloud. More details in my gallery: astrob.in/g5fgio/0/ #astrophotography

Bright blue central nebula surrounded by dark nebulae and hint of red nebula.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

This is M63, the Sunflower Galaxy in Canes VenatIci. The extensive star-forming regions surrounding the bright nucleus are particularly interesting. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/9ufjlt. #astrophotography

Center oval image with bright core surrounded by oval arms with many red star forming regions.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

This is NGC 4565 - The Needle Galaxy in Coma Berenices, an edge on spiral galaxy we see in profile from our perspective. The bright core is flanked by extensive detail in the outer arms. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/3zwr6e #astrophotography

Bright thin diagonal shape from lower center left to upper center right, with extensive detail and color in outer arms.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

This beautiful emission nebula in Hydra is often identified as a planetary nebula, while technically being a Stromgren sphere illuminated by a white dwarf companion that its part of a binary system. Here is a link to my gallery for more details: app.astrobin.com/i/d69fjb #astrophotography

Large circular red/orange form in center with a bright central star surrounded by a compact green/blue form.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

This is the globular cluster M3 in Canes Venatici. Globular Clusters are among the oldest stars in our galaxy, and their beauty make them compelling targets. More details in my gallery of globular clusters: app.astrobin.com/i/gzjssz #astrophotography

A bright circular densely packed group of stars in the center.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

This is the Coma Cluster in Coma Berenices. The vast number of galaxies are fascinating and humbling. I am amazed at how I can setup my equipment and capture so many worlds so distant from ourselves. The annotated image on the right identifies many of the galaxies in the image. #astrophotography

Dozens of small galaxies throughout the mage with two larger galaxies and two bright stars.

Dozens of galaxies labeled with their NGC and IC designations.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

The Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) is an iconic face-on spiral in Ursa Major with a large apparent size. I was able to capture this image with a very bright (94%) moon with the new Spectral Pro filter from my Bortle 7 suburban sky. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/bipjbj?r=B #astrophotography

Circular form in center with spiral arms on both sides of the bright galaxy.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

NGC 2903 is a spectacular grand-design spiral galaxy in Leo, with an unusual bar crossing the central hub with numerous HII regions suggesting new star formation. It was captured with 10+ hours with the Spectral Pro filter. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/du45io?r=D #astrophotography

Bright galaxy in a vertical orientation with blue spiral arms and red knots.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

This is a close-up of M51, the iconic Whirlpool Galaxy interacting with its companion galaxy NGC 5195. I tested a new Spectral Pro filter from Leviathan Optical on this target and was pleased with the result. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/dzmjiz #astrophotography

A large blue swirl of a galaxy in the center with a number of red star forming regions with circular arms interacting with a smaller galaxy to the middle left of the image.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

This is M81 in Ursa Major, captured with a new Spectral Pro hybrid filter that screens out most light pollution. M81 may be responsible for the new star formation in M82, the Cigar Galaxy, that I posted last week. #astrophotography More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/9g6z4e

Bright oval shaped grand design spiral galaxy with arms above and below oval shape.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

This is a starburst galaxy in Ursa Major, M82, often called the Cigar Galaxy. Another relatively close galaxy (M81, Bodes Galaxy) may be causing new star creation, evidenced by the bright red nebulae in the center of the image. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/d10bdp #astrophotography

Diagonal galaxy in center of image in white/blue, with bright red streamers in center at a 90 degree angle.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

This Horsehead Nebula was captured with a dual band filter using the Hb and SII wavelengths. The result is more nuanced, showing more variation in detail and color in the nebulosity, and a more transparent central figure. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/e7iyaf #astrophotography

A prominent horsehead figure in the center with a strong diagonal nebula flowing from lower left to upper right.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Jupiter is very well placed in the evening sky right now, and seeing improved last night, so I captured these two images of Jupiter about two hours apart. It illustrates how fast Jupiter rotates. #astrophotography Technical details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/n7sx4x

Bright circular planet with prominent horizontal bands.

Bright circular planet with prominent horizontal bands and bright red spot in lower left.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

These are two open clusters in Gemini, M35 and NGC2158. NGC2158 initially looked like a globular cluster to me, but is actually an open cluster. #astrophotography More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/fgfeia

Two bright concentrations of stars, one in the center and a smaller one in the lower right.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

In order to tease out more detail in the dark and emissions nebulas, I added 4 hours of exposures with a SII/Hb filter to the 8+ hours of exposures with the HA/OIII filter on this iconic target, the Horsehead and Flame nebulas. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/0qmoek #astrophotography

Bright red diagonal nebula on top half with prominent dark horsehead figure in the center.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

The dramatic yet subtle details of many of my astro images emerges when they are presented without stars and in black and white. I hope you enjoy this short video of some of my favorites. #astrophotography

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

I captured this image of Jupiter with the Great Red Spot and Europa and its shadow last night by stacking 2242 frames (10%) of a three minute video with the 180mm Maksutov-Cassegrain. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/zg9ggo #astrophotography

Tilted image of Jupiter with bands running from upper left to lower right, with the bright red spot on the lower left, the shadow of Europa in the center right and the bright Europa outside and at the lower right of the image.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

I used Lucky Stack Worker to extract more detail and create a better color balance in this image of Jupiter from January 14th. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/xyy5pf #astrophotography

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

This is Jupiter last night (January 15, 2026) just a few days past its opposition when it is closest to the Earth. The air turbulence (seeing) was better than average allowing a decent image, and I am waiting for a night of excellent seeing to once again visit our Jovian neighbor. #astrophotography

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

I first saw this reflection nebula IC 447 in Monoceros in a wide field image I took last year, and decided to use the AT115EDT with a crop to zoom in on it last night. Two other smaller reflection nebulas are also visible in the lower right corner. app.astrobin.com/i/uef9q6 #astrophotography

Bright centered blue oval with two smaller reflection nebulas in lower right framed by a dense star field.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Image is centered on the runway star AE Aurigae, often referred to as the Flaming Star Nebula, possibly ejected from Orion 2.5 million years ago. The b/w version provides an optimal way of viewing the intricate details. More information in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/vwh9wp #astrophotography

Swirls of grey streams of nebulosity surrounded by a few stars and rich black background.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Will the Spider catch the Fly (IC417 and NGC1931)? This emissons nebula in Auriga captured my attention this week and I hope you ponder this age old question! More details in my gallery. #astrophotography app.astrobin.com/i/41ya0r

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

This wide field image of the iconic Horsehead and Flame nebulas in Orion, on left rendered in a SHO palette (Sulpher, Hydrogen, Oxygen), and on right a Hydrogen, Oxygen,captured with the 180mm APO and two dual band filters. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/65al2i #astrophotography

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

It is hard to ignore the Pleiades (M45) with the 40MM refractor. The iconic reflection nebula inspired the corporate logo for the Subaru automobiles, after the Japanese name for M45. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/urvcl7?r=B #astrophotography

Blue nebulosity surrounding many stars forming an arrow like pattern pointing up in the image.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

These are two planetary nebula on the border of Cassiopeia, Abell 6 and HFG1, including 7 hours of exposures with a dual narrowband filter and the 115mm telescope. Details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/59wv4b #astrophotography

Two circular forms on top right and bottom left of the image. On the top you can see a bright blue nebula with three prominent knots and a blue bow shock curving around the nebulosity with a hint of a red tail from the opposite side and a darker middle to the circular form. On the bottom left a blue circular marble looking form with some transparency in its middle.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

On the left is the diamond shaped raised area, Palus Somni, just above the Mare Tranquilitatis, where Apollo 11 landed in 1969. To the right is the 70% illuminated moon captured at the same time. The images were captured last night with short videos with a 115mm refractor. #astrophotography

Diamond shaped darker form with strong dark shadows below and bright crater with rays outlining top of the diamond.

Full 70% illuminated lunar image. If enlarged you may see the lunar straight wall in the shadows in lower right side.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

On the terminator tonight, if you look closely, you may see the Lunar X on the top left and the Lunar V on the top right. #astrophotography

Black and white lunar closeup with bright highlight X on top left and V on top right.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

This is the supernova remnant CTB1 in Cassiopeia, often called the Garlic Nebula, with 17 hours of exposures over 5 nights. app.astrobin.com/i/w6q3wu #astrophotography

Red central circular figure with strands of nebulosity with a green/blue outline on left of the fgure.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

Conditions were favorable last night to capture this image of Saturn with its edge on rings as part of a 15 year cycle. Details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/ugkow6 #astrophotography

Dark edge-on rings of Saturn contrasting with brighter circular image.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

This is Comet C/2025 SWAN R2 from October 17th. It should be closest to earth this evening so it may be the best opportunity to see or image it. Details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/3zgswn #astrophotography

Bright green comet on middle right of the image.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

These emissions and reflection nebulas in Lacerta are sometimes called the Lizard or Gecko nebula, Just over 11 hours of total exposure with two filters were used. You are invited to chase this cosmic lizard! More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/nezmt2 #astrophotography

A darker red nebula in the shape of a V in the background with a lighter lizard shaped reflection nebula in the foreground.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

The Lunar ray system in the Copernicus/Kepler regions are composed of glassy impact generated particles that are highly reflective. Capturing them when they are illuminated overhead, near full moon, provides a particularly dramatic view. #astrophotography More details at: app.astrobin.com/i/hmxkbe

Bright rays stretch out from two craters in top left with the tops of mountains stretching out in a curve on the right.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

I captured this image of the last Titan transit of the year on October 5th with very good but not great seeing. This is one of 23 images that I may assemble into an animation. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/bdfx1sAn #astrophotography

Saturn’s rings almost edge-on with partial dark shadow from Titan on top and a lighter circle marking the location of the moon Titan.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

This is NGC 6946, a face-on spiral galaxy on the border of Cepheus and Cygnus. Ten supernovas have been detected in this galaxy over the last 100 years leading to its nickname, the Fireworks galaxy. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/57inax?r=C #astrophotography

Three spiral arms surround a bright core in this galaxy, with several purple areas of star formation throughout the image.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 21/09/2025

This is SH2-155 in Cepheus. The use of two dual band filters, recombining the signal in a Hubble3 palette in APP, brings out the subtle depth of the nebulosity in this target, sometimes called the Cave Nebula. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/cha0mf #astrophotography

A central curved ridge with subtle blue/green nebulosity on upper right side and red nebulosity on left side.

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

Here is an initial effort to capture Saturn with its rings almost edge-on with the 7" Orion Maksutov-Cassegrain from last night. Forecast is for great seeing tonight so I will try again! #astrophotography

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

This lunar image is with a “new” Orion 7” Maksutov-Cassegrain lunar, planetary, and bright DSO telescope I just purchased. I stacked 150 fits files in Affinity Photo in 6 stacks and stitched them together producing a high resolution result. More details: app.astrobin.com/i/0ujkal #astrophotography

Almost full moon two days after being full including medium lit highlights, and crisp crater images on left edge,

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Yesterday we spent the afternoon swimming with the fishes at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Here are a few of the amazing and beautiful sea creatures we saw. We hope it will provide some peace for you in these troubling times. #jellyfish @aquariumpacific.bsky.social

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Jim Case @jimcase.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

As I set up Saturday, August 31st, the seeing was quite good and I captured a minute video and stacked this image of the Lunar Straight Wall which is visible one day after the first quarter moon. More details in my gallery: app.astrobin.com/i/b49z3c #astrophotography

A curved moon fills 3/4 of the frame with a clear shadow line across a crater close to center of the image.

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