iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Great work! Dark nebulae are so fun to image. They’re definitely my favorite things to work on these days.

110

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Damn I didn’t catch that autocorrect error in time. Should be “spooky vibes”. Why don’t we have an edit button yet???

010

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Don’t get me wrong I still love the spooky covers I pulled off in the original but I think the revisit does more justice to the data.

131

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I went back and revisited the garlic nebula data I collected last year to try out some new approaches and techniques. I definitely was able to bring out a lot more of the oxygen this time. I’ll link the original version as a reply to this. #astrophotography #photography

A nebula image of contrasting reds and teals. The main focus of the image is on the central structure that resembles a garlic bulb. The left half of the object is largely teal while the right is red. The background is a blend of the two colors but far more subtle.

2405

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Oh also I spotted this planetary nebula hiding in the background while processing it. It was a very unexpected treat.

A small planetary nebula in the form of a blue ring surrounding a dim blue star

083

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I saw this target on here a couple of weeks ago and had to try it for myself. This is LBN 534, it’s a cosmic check mark. This one was a lot of fun. I’ve got the itch for more targets like this. Maybe it’s time to revisit NGC1333 or something like that. #astrophotography #photography

A nebula picture of some cosmic space dust that formed the shape of a check mark. Through the brown and magenta cast body of the check, bright blue stars shine through giving it a ghostly glow.

1262

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Here's the North America nebula, the Pelican nebula, and the dark nebula LDN 935 in between them. This image is in SHO as I implied in my other post of the LRGB version. This is a little less data than I normally go for at just under 13 hours. I hope you enjoy! #astrophotography #photography

This image is composed of two major bright nebulae and a dark nebula that's separating them. This image is composed using the Hubble palette, which gives the overall nebula structure a strong contrast of golden oranges and light blues.

In this image the Pelican nebula is at the top right, while the North America nebula is on the left, with the Cygnus Wall at the bottom left corner of the image.

0204

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Here's the North America nebula, the Pelican nebula, and the dark nebula LDN 935 in between them. This one is in LRGB and was about 20 hours of data. I usually only go for SHO on this (you can guess what my next upload will be) but it was fun one to do it in LRGB. #astrophotography #photography

This image is composed of two major bright nebulae and a dark nebula that's separating them. This image is composed of the natural RGB spectrum, which gives the overall nebula structure a magenta/purple coloring, while the stars are a range of white, blue, and amber.

In this image the Pelican nebula is at the bottom left, while the North America nebula is on the right "upside down" from the stereotypical orientation, which leaves the Cygnus Wall at the top right.

0131

Reposted by Jordan Maples

ToonHive @toonhive.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Kiana Mai has released the fully animated and colored ‘Pretty Pretty Please I Don’t Want to be a Magical Girl’ pilot on YouTube. Watch: youtu.be/6_7L80WaIuU?...

931891197

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

My dataset for LDN889 (and friends) completed last night so I took a first pass on it this afternoon. I think I'm going to reprocess it though. There are some things that I like and some things that I don't like about it. Either way... space stuff! #astrophotography #photography #space

LDN 889 is one of the dark nebulae focused at the center of the image. The image is a mixture of blue and gold with a well defined "canal" of darkness shooting up and to the right through the center.

0357

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Here's just about 27 hours of data on the Sagittarius Star Cloud. I saw a really cool HOO version of this on Telescopius and figured it would probably look cool in SHO. I'll probably take a stab at it in HOO tomorrow but for now I'm very happy with how this turned out. #astrophotography #photography

A nebula featuring a set of gradients from blue to green and then transitioning from green through yellow golds and ending in red. Centrally located in the frame are a pair of inky black dark nebula. Off to the right central portion of the frame, in the yellow-gold to red area of the gradient is dark ridge with wispy filaments of orange reaching back up towards the blues and down into the dark towards the edge of the frame.

The image is also host to a lot of stars. They pepper the entire frame, almost looking like someone came behind the painterly frame and blasted it with white spray paint.

1306

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Last winter, I spent some time collecting data on the Horsehead nebula but I didn't get around to playing with the narrowband data that I collected. So today I combined it in SHO and really like the results. It's got a very funky vibe to it. #astrophotography #photography #space

Running down and to the right across the frame is a bright ridge of gas. Above the ridge, flowing to the top and right of the frame the colors gradient from yellow into green before fading into the blue background. Below the ridge, the yellows turn to red-brown oranges. Midway down the ridge is a dark nebula in the shape of the silhouette of a horse's head.

On the left side of the frame is the flaming star nebula, which is a mostly magenta tinted white structure with dark banding running through it.

Dotted throughout the image are prominent stars, most of them are either richly blue in color while others are a deep purple.

0313

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

nice. I also collected some Sii data, so I might play around with some different palettes before I call this one done for the year. I think if i do shoot it again next year, I'll do like 3 or 5 min subs around it to see if there's anything interesting nearby.

010

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

It's a deceptively difficult one to get w/o blowing out the core.

100

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I've been going through and reprocessing a lot of my data from earlier this year and realized I didn't do my M27 data. I suspect there are some interesting structures that could be pulled out of the background with more data, but that'll have to wait until next year. #astrophotography #photography

The dumbbell nebula is the only interesting object in the frame. It has a bright blue-white core. There are wing-like structures coming out of the left and right sides of the core that are primarily teal but have a red fringing to them.

1295

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I also had to take a stab at this color mapping. For mine, I added a touch of the Sii into the green and the blue channels. #astrophotography #photography

A nebula featuring golden oranges wrapped in teal-blues. At the center of the image is a Wolf-Rayet star with a shell of orange gas blowing outward and away from it.

0204

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Ooooh! oh yeah I’m gonna have to do that palette. Thanks!

010

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

I spent some time taking pictures of WR134 the other day. I tried processing in both SHO and HOO but just couldn't find a way to make the SHO work out in an aesthetically pleasing way. I might play around with this a bit more before I call it done. #astrophotography #photography

A photo of a nebula, predominantly filled with deep blood red, icy teals, and dark blue tinted blacks. Waves of red gas occupy the majority of the foreground of the frame but located in the center of the image is a teal and white circular structure with gas filaments reaching back in towards the small blue-white star at its center.

3428

Reposted by Jordan Maples

Aabria Iyengar @aabria.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Actual footage of me fielding any question in a D20 production meeting

864640

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Yep I shot this at a FL of 350. It was still decently close though, maybe 20-30 feet away.

010

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

It's such a cool area. I love coming back to this target.

010

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

I've been chasing down guiding problems and various issues with the telescope for the last couple weeks. I've had to throw out a lot of data, but I was able to scrape together about 30 hours of narrowband data for the Crescent nebula. #astrophotography #photography

An image of the Crescent nebula and the surrounding gas fields. The Crescent nebula appears prominently in the center of the image as a pinkish red brain-like structure. It is immediately surrounded by a teal-blue shell of gas. Surrounding the Crescent are waves of red that play across the majority of the frame. To the left of the Crescent, across a starry region devoid of the red gas is a tiny bubble nebula. It is a nearly perfectly circular region of gas that is ghostly pink in front of the backing red.

A close crop of the Crescent nebula. The Crescent nebula appears prominently in the center of the image as a pinkish red brain-like structure. It is immediately surrounded by a teal-blue shell of gas. There are some of the backing red waves of gas that showed prominently throughout the wider version of this image, but it is far less and the star field is more prominently viewed in the closer view.

A cropped in image focusing on the bubble nebula. The bubble is a nearly perfectly circular region of gas that is ghostly pink in front of the backing red. The left side of the image has deep red gas clusters with some bok globules. The right is nearly devoid of the deep red gas with the stars prominently shining through.

3504

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

I love how this picture of a grizzly turned out. It was just chilling in the pond, doing bear things and thinking bear thoughts. #photography #nature

A grizzly bear floating in a pond. Its paw is raised to its mouth making it look like the bear is deep in thought.

180

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

I went to Northwest Trek yesterday for the first time since I was a kid. It was pretty hot out so most of the animals were sleeping out trying to stay cool. These raccoons were pancaked out just being little cuties. #photography

A sunbathing raccoon laying on a broken log with its paw dangling down into the shade

A raccoon perched in a hole in a dead tree.

040

Reposted by Jordan Maples

CosmicRami 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @rami.spaceaustralia.com · 10/07/2026

US FCC: “let’s do a consultation on how the community feels about this” Community: “we hate it, don’t do it, it’s real bad, this will impact a lot of people — astronomers, biodiversity, Indigenous communities, more” x 1800 responses FCC: “lol, we don’t care. APPROVED.”

But to expand the technology, Reflect Orbital envisions operating over 50,000 satellites by 2035, effectively surrounding the Earth with a fleet of mirrors. The proposal has faced stiff pushback from environmental groups and astronomers concerned that the satellites will unleash intrusive light pollution. The opposition has been so strong that the FCC received over 1,800 public comments on the application, many of them objecting to Reflect Orbital’s plan for Earendil-1.

610839

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

oh yeah that would look really nice.

010

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

And here's the SHO version of it. I definitely see the appeal of the HOO but the variety of colors that you get by adding in the sulfur data just gives an extra depth and variety that's missing from the other. Let me know which one you prefer. #astrophotography #photography

A nebula complex consisting primarily of golden yellows, dark blues, and eerie greens. There are two primary objects in this image. On the left is Pickering's triangle. It is a mix of gold and blues and looks like waves of gasses are colliding together in a cosmic tide pool. From the bottom right of the triangle, a line of gasses continues out down and to the right across the whole frame. Above this line, in the top right of the frame, is the Veil Nebula. The Veil is often called the Witch's Broom. The blues in the veil twist and turn in a long line, almost looking like a twisted branch that could be used for a broom handle. Towards the bottom the blues fan out into a broom's bristle. All along the length of the broom are offshoots of golden-yellows and the occasional offshoot of green.

4204

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

NGC 6960 is one of the first narrowband targets that I captured back on my first telescope. I've always had a special place in my heart for this. So I figured it was time for a revisit. First up is the more popular HOO mapping. #astrophotography #photography

A nebula complex consisting primarily of red and teal colors. There are two primary objects in this image. On the left is Pickering's triangle. It is a mix of reds and blues and looks like waves of gasses are colliding together in a cosmic tide pool. From the bottom right of the triangle, a line of gasses continues out down and to the right across the whole frame. Above this line, in the top right of the frame, is the Veil Nebula. The Veil is often called the Witch's Broom. The blues in the veil twist and turn in a long line, almost looking like a twisted branch that could be used for a broom handle. Towards the bottom the blues fan out into a broom's bristle. All along the length of the broom are offshoots of red that wrap the blue core.

3355

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

The other day I mentioned that I shot M106 and earlier this spring and forgot about it. I got to work on processing and here's the result. I still can't believe that I just forgot about 17 hours worth of data. Oh well, hopefully I don't misplace a dataset again. #astrophotography #photography

$A picture of space with a large spiral galaxy (M106) in the center. The galaxy has two distinct spiral arms and is fringed in blue starlight. The core of the galaxy has a warmer, redish hue to it. Surrounding the galaxy are other smaller galaxies that are scattered throughout the image. There are a few pronounced in the image with large diffraction spikes coming off of them.$

2365

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

I was going through targets to punch into target scheduler and thought, "I haven't done M106 in a while. Maybe I should point the scope at it for a bit". I guess I spent 18 hours looking at it in March. I can't believe I forgot about an entire project's dataset.

010

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

I don't remember how I came across the coordinates for Le Gentil 3, but I'm glad I did. Idk much about it but it's a cool bit of dark nebula with a super dense star field. I'm not sure if I'm done editing it or if I want to keep trying processing it. Thoughts? #astrophotography #photography

The center of the frame is dominated by a dark nebula, whose filaments stretch largely across the screen. The dark cuts through a very dense star field whose stars have an overall redish hue to them. Three stars with blue halos dominate the top left of the frame.

1296

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Of course. Here’s my main hardware: Takahashi Epsilon 160ed Astro-Physics Mach2GTO zwo asi 2600mm pro 3nm narrowband filters from Chroma Pegasus Falcon rotator v1 Optec TCF-LEO Location: Starfront Remote Observatories in Texas Processed with Pixinsight

020

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Obviously the full thing is going to get compressed to shit on Bluesky so I’ll post some crops as well.

100

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Here’s a 4 panel mosaic of the Elephant Trunk Nebula that I’ve been working on. It’s been a long time since I’ve done a mosaic and this was a fun one to brush off the cobwebs with. #astrophotography #photography #astronomy #space

Distinct layers of different colored gasses appear as you approach the edges of the frame. From the center, the colors progress from violet to blue then green and yellow before ending in an orange red shell before being replaced by the blackness of deeper space.
There are some sections of dark nebula throughout but the most prominent in the center bottom of the frame, it is the object most people refer to as the Elephant Trunk. It starts with a wall of bright bluish white wall against the dark orange-red of the dark nebula. The dark nebula continues down cutting through the gradients. Though the edges are far brighter than the background. Where there was green and yellow in the background you now have a golden glow. The elephant’s trunk ends at the edge of the larger complex, blending softly into the edge colors.

4426

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

I’m finally editing some fresh space data again. I forgot what a pain in the ass mosaics can be though. Why did I decide to start the summer with a 2x2 and a 3x3???

110

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

The people at Starfront said they didn’t see any damage so I’m hopefully everything is still working smoothly.

020

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

The other night my Mach2 crashed into its pier thanks to an ASCOM exception that got thrown when NINA told my mount to park. Not a pleasant thing to wake up to.

210

Reposted by Jordan Maples

Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Apropos of nothing, I hope there's a hell. Anyway

423529

Reposted by Jordan Maples

Benthicben @benthicben.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

How big are Mina and Hornet anyway? Mina the Hollower accidentally digs up Hallownest's Princess. Scaling speculation in both size and combat abilities are very welcome! Who is having a boss fight and who is just getting annoyed?

121019350

Reposted by Jordan Maples

Manuel Huss @manuelhuss.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Maybe one of my top 3 favorite deep-sky objects: (parts of) the Sadr nebula complex. 25 hours of exposure. Details & tech info: www.astrobin.com/xsvzqa/ #astrophotography

1537

Reposted by Jordan Maples

Yacht Club Games @yachtclubgames.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Mina the Hollower is OUT NOW!🐭🕯️ After 6 years of development, our fright-filled action-adventure is finally in your hands. Whip foes, burrow beneath danger, uncover secrets, and descend into Tenebrous Isle today. Thank you for joining us on this journey. ⚔️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQZM...

youtube.com

Mina the Hollower - Out Now!

YouTube video by Yacht Club Games

9844431768

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

So I went and made a website for all of my astrophotography. It's slow going as I set it up but it's coming together. It should be better for viewing than bsky. jordanmaplesastro.photography. I need to redo some of the things like the tag line and description.

jordanmaplesastro.photography

Jordan Maples Astrophotography | Explore the Cosmos Today

Discover stunning astrophotography by Jordan Maples, capturing the cosmos from remote locations. Explore celestial images and photography projects today.

131

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

I think overall the pic is too dark for my liking. I might play around with the background to make the crow pop out more.

000

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

I saw a very photogenic crow while we were out on a walk today. I'm starting to learn how to use Darktable for non-astro stuff and it's a cool piece of software. It definitely has a steep learning curve but it's really satisfying to use. BTW I do have fresh space data coming up soon!

130

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

The weather down at Starfront has been pretty bad for the last month and a half so I guess that means it's time to reprocess some old data. First up is M31 the Andromeda Galaxy! Same data different processing in quote post. Let me know which you like more. #astrophotography #photography

$The Andromeda Galaxy stretches across the frame, starting at the bottom left and continuing all the way to the top right. It has a warm yellow glow throughout, however there are some variations of note: along the fringes of the galaxy are blue regions of stars, there are brighter red H2 regions also along the fringes of the disk and dotting the dust lanes, it has a brighter yellow/white core, and spiraling out from the core are the dust lanes. There are two smaller dwarf galaxies, one to the left of the core of Andromeda that touches the disk and the other is separate from the main body of Andromeda down and to the right of the galactic core. Additionally, there are a myriad of closer, colorful stars from the Milky Way dotting the frame. Some of these stars have diffraction spikes due to the way their brightness interacts with my Newtonian telescope..$

2315

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Forgot to alt text, it's hot fuzz. They're sitting in the car, eating their ice cream cones.

000

Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Without saying your age, post your favorite film that released the year you turned 18

210