iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

My 2 panel mosaic of the Lagoon (M8) and Trifid (M20) Nebulae. Each panel had 50 five minute sub-frames. The Lagoon is about 4300 light years away and the Trifid is about 1000 light years farther away. The Trifid is an interesting combo of emission, reflection, and dark nebulae. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Here is a new image for me of an old favorite target, M8, the Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius. It is a large star forming region somewhere between 4,100 and 6,800 light years away. I’m also working on a mosaic of this area to include M20. But that project needs more data. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Returning to the northern hemisphere we have the “Siamese Twins” NGC 4567/78 plus M58 as a bonus! #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

I perhaps saved the best for the last of my images from New Zealand. NGC 3372, the Eta Carinae Nebula is a huge H ll region in the Milky Way and contains the star Eta Carinae one of the most massive stars in the galaxy. It is an impressive sight visually. And stunning here. Enjoy! #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Here is another image from my recent trip to New Zealand, Centaurus A, NGC 5128. It’s about 11 light years away and it is thought to be the result of the merger of two galaxies. The merger leaves a lenticular galaxy with a massive dust ring. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Another object from the southern hemisphere, the Small Magellanic Cloud. This is a dwarf galaxy passing by the Milky Way. It is about 200,000 light years distant. It may have once been a barred spiral galaxy that was disrupted by the Milky Way’s gravity. #astrophotography #SMC

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Here is the granddaddy of globular clusters, Omega Centauri, NGC5139. It is thought to be the leftover core of a dwarf galaxy gobbled up by the Milky Way. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Another object from the southern hemisphere, NGC 104, also known as 47 Tucanae. It is the second largest globular cluster we can observe. A beautiful object. #astrophotography #NGC104

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Staying in the vicinity of the LMC I centered the Tarantula Nebula in this image. #astrophotography #LMC

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Here is the annotated version of the LMC with an abundance of NGC objects, including NGC 2070, better known as the Tarantula Nebula in the lower right of this image. This is a huge star forming region in the LMC. #astrophotography #LMC

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Another image from the southern hemisphere, the Large Magellanic Cloud. A satellite galaxy of the Milky Way about 160,000 light years distant. It is a magnificent naked eye object. #astrophotography #LMC

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Hi folks - I have been absent for a while. I was traveling in New Zealand for the month of March. I took my Dwarf 3 smart telescope to do some imaging of objects in the southern hemisphere. Here is a wide angle view centered on the Carina Nebula. More photos to follow. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Here is the location of the very small planetary nebula hidden in the Great Pumpkin. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Today we have Sh2-232, otherwise known as the Great Pumpkin Nebula. I suppose I should have waited until Halloween but here you go. If you look closely there is a small planetary nebula hidden in there. See if you can find it. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

Today’s image is M 74 a beautiful face on spiral galaxy in Pisces. It is about 30 million light years away. #astrophtogrphy

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Here is the annotated version of the NGC 772 image. Once again showing that our main object is not alone out there. Each green label is another galaxy from the Principal Galaxy Catalog. It’s also worth noting the image of NGC 772 is formed by photons that started our way when dinosaurs were around.

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Today we have NGC 772 a galaxy in Aries. It looks small in the image at a distance of 106 million light years, but actually twice the size of the Milky Way! It is also receiving a gravitational pull from its companion galaxy NGC 770, a round fuzzy ball just below 772. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Hi folks - I have been remiss in not posting for a while. Here is a new image for today. The Pleiades, M 45. A two panel mosaic with a total exposure time of more than 15 hours. Lots of glowing gases up there! #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Today’s image has two objects, IC 417 (left of center) and NGC 1931. Both stellar nurseries similar to the Orion Nebula (M42) but much farther away in the Perseus arm of the Milky Way. NGC 1931 even has a trapezium of stars similar to M42 if you zoom in on the lower light patch. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

Today we have SH2-132 in Cepheus, otherwise known as the Lion Nebula. 155 five-minute sub-frames for a total integration time of about 16 hours. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

3I/ATLAS from yesterday morning. I integrated three pairs of 1-minute exposures about 48 minutes apart to illustrate the movement of the comet in the sky. It is in Leo currently so there are a few galaxies around as well. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

A barely visible crescent moon just before sunrise this morning. Taken with my new iPhone 17 and 8X optical zoom. I think I am going to like this new phone. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

3I/ATLAS is flying by right now. Its closest approach to earth is in a couple of days. I have been collecting data every clear morning. Here are some results from this morning. 3 images. One is 5 one minute exposures stacked. Another is 3 exposures over about an hour. It is moving fast! #astrophoto

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Today’s image is IC 410, the Tadpole Nebula. The tadpoles are the squiggly columns of gas with bright knots on the ends where stars are forming a little left of the center of the nebula. About nine hours of exposure time in this image. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

Today we have NGC 1499, the California Nebula. This is a 4 panel mosaic with 70 sub-frames in each panel for a total integration time of over 23 hours. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Today we have two “groups” of galaxies, NGC7331 and Stephan’s Quintet to the lower right. The larger galaxies in each group are about 40 million light years away while the smaller galaxies are 300 to 350 million light years away. Those are pretty old photons! #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

Today we have a new image of our interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS. This is an integration of just three 5 minute sub-frames. The comet is moving quickly and the head shows movement in a single frame. I will try some shorter exposures to see if I can get better results. It’s a process. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Today’s image is NGC1491, the Fossil Footprint Nebula in Perseus. It is an emission nebula about 9800 light years away. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1790. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

This is what I have to deal with, clouds. Sure, it’s a beautiful sunrise but they get in the way of my data collection!?! Good morning everyone!

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Clouds got in the way last night. But here is a 4 panel mosaic of M31. 60 sub-frames in each panel for a total exposure time of 20 hours. I’m still working on the processing because of the huge dynamic range of the source. I may share another take down the road. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Here is the annotated version with three NGC galaxies to the right of the comet. #astrophotography #interstellarcomet

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Today’s image of 3I/ATLAS our interstellar comet. This is an integration of 5 five-minute exposures. A little better than yesterday’s image. This is cropped from the original to eliminate some satellite trails. #astrophotography #interstellarcomet

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Not one of my prettier images but it is my first ever image of an interstellar comet. 3I/ATALAS from the early morning hours today. A single 5 minute exposure. It should be better in the coming days. #astrophotography #interstellarcomet

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Here is the center of IC1396 and its most famous element, the Elephant Trunk Nebula just right of center in this image. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

Today’s image is VdB126 in Volpecula, a region of dense star fields and gas and dust clouds in the Milky Way. Specifically the named object is a pair of reflection nebulae in the center of the clouds. I have processed the 15 hours of data in two different ways. Let me know. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Here is SH2-114, the Flying Dragon Nebula in the constellation Cygnus. This image is composed from 180 five-minute sub-frames for a total exposure time of 15 hours. As I have noted before in reference to names of objects, some people have better imaginations than me. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

An image of Comet Lemmon from last evening. It looks like the dust tail is curving away from the gas/ion tail.

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

We have a couple of comets gracing our skies right now. Here they are, C-2025 R6 Comet Lemmon, and C-2025 R2 Comet Swan which looks like a green snowball. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Here is an annotated version of M33 identifying 18 NGC/IC objects that are parts of the galaxy. In addition there are 24 galaxies in the background from the PGC. It’s always fun to see what else is lurking in the image! #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Hi Folks - Here is one of my favorite targets, M33. It is part of our local group of galaxies about 4 million light years from the Milky Way. This is the longest integration time for me on the object, a little over 14 hours in total. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Hi Folks - Sorry for the long absence. The monsoon season is behind us and while the moon is a bit pesky I wanted to share my first image of the fall season. NGC 7789, better known as Caroline’s Rose. Discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1783. A little over 3 hours of exposure time. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Monsoon clouds continue to intrude on my operations but here is another image from the little break I had a couple weeks ago. IC5146, better known as the Cocoon Nebula in the constellation Cygnus the swan. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

This is the annotated version of the Draco Triplet. It provides labels for two additional NGC galaxies and more than 40 PGC galaxies. So the triplets are not alone. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Here is another image from my monsoon break. The Draco Triplet, three galaxies, NGC5981, 5982, and 5985. Two spiral galaxies, one seen edge on, and an elliptical. They range from about 95 to 140 million light years away. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

I’ve had a lucky break in monsoon conditions. We had a blob of dry air move over us for a few days. It gave me an opportunity to get some new images. Here is NGC5529 that we see edge on. It’s 162 million light years away and is almost twice the size of the Milky Way. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

Another cactus blossom. They are very large and intricate in structure and spectacularly beautiful. But also fleeting. They bloom at night and are withered by the sun by mid morning. So one has to be up early and catch them quickly!

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

It’s monsoon season here in SE Arizona so it’s a challenge to get good data for more images. So here is something else to consider. The cactus are blooming!

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

Today’s image is a two for, NGC7635 and M52. NGC7635 is the “Bubble Nebula” and M52 is an open star cluster. All of which is embedded in lots of dust and gas. A wonderful view all in all. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

Here is the annotated version of M102, showing two NGC galaxies and 77 PGC galaxies. #astrophotography

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AstroMikeAZ @kmikemcd.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

A galaxy for today’s image, M102 in Draco. A lenticular galaxy we see edge on, about 48 million light years away. It is also known as the “Spindle Galaxy”. You can see the dust lane traversing the center of the galaxy. #astrophotography

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