StarCatcher 🇨🇦
@starcatcherjohn.bsky.social
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Exploring the universe through my telescopes. Astrophotographer, foodie, and lover of all animals, often more than humans. #Astrophotography #DeepSpace #Astronomy My images: telescopius.com/profile/jean_legros
![The Bubble Nebula, also known as NGC 7635, Sharpless 162, or Caldwell 11, is an H II region[1] emission nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia. It lies close to the open cluster Messier 52. The "bubble" is created by the stellar wind from a massive hot, 8.7[1] magnitude young central star, SAO 20575 (BD+60°2522).[7] The nebula is near a giant molecular cloud which contains the expansion of the bubble nebula while itself being excited by the hot central star, causing it to glow.[7] It was discovered in November 1787 by William Herschel.[5] The star BD+60°2522 is thought to have a mass of about 44 M☉.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dksfsl7lygnhrmfxsxcznf3u/bafkreibfxoemd3ngle6rgov6dmm2fh46xxc6znoxdajhnpixtgb7kbnhp4)
![Starless version of The Elephant's Trunk Nebula (IC 1396A) is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth.[1] The nebula is a dark, dense globule that gets its name from its appearance at visible light wavelengths, where there is a dark patch with a bright, sinuous rim. The bright rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive multiple star (HD 206267) that is just to the east of the Elephant's Trunk Nebula . The entire IC 1396 region is ionized by the massive star, except for dense globules that can protect themselves from the star's harsh ultraviolet rays.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dksfsl7lygnhrmfxsxcznf3u/bafkreifi7iqeu5qbrirx4l3md6loltcamgmco5lcpyitmlcpfzevifpqym)
![The Elephant's Trunk Nebula (IC 1396A) is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth.[1] The nebula is a dark, dense globule that gets its name from its appearance at visible light wavelengths, where there is a dark patch with a bright, sinuous rim. The bright rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive multiple star (HD 206267) that is just to the east of the Elephant's Trunk Nebula . The entire IC 1396 region is ionized by the massive star, except for dense globules that can protect themselves from the star's harsh ultraviolet rays.[citation needed]
Widefield view of the full IC 1396 nebula
The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is now thought to be a site of star formation, containing several very young (less than 100,000 yr) stars that were discovered in infrared images in 2003. Two older (but still young, a couple of million years, by the standards of stars, which live for billions of years) stars are present in a small, circular cavity in the head of the globule. Winds from these young stars may have emptied the cavity.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dksfsl7lygnhrmfxsxcznf3u/bafkreib7ao6eamm54pa2lbymlgk4zk6rnjcdbskxbgn2m2ry5tjvwst4vq)
![Sh 2-129 (also known as the Flying Bat Nebula), is a large emission nebula and H II region located in the constellation Cepheus. It is part of the Cepheus molecular cloud complex and belongs to the Cep OB2 association.[1][2][3][4] Reflection nebula vdB 140 can be seen near Sh 2-129.[5][6]
Within Sh 2-129 lies a bipolar outflow nebula named Ou 4 (also known as Squid Nebula).[7] The central star of Ou4 is believed to be the massive triple star system named HD 202214](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dksfsl7lygnhrmfxsxcznf3u/bafkreiaiihkuddsmcck6sv2kwusehghuwp52iz7lnezsi4grhwyykuvjry)
![Starless version of NGC 281, IC 11 or Sh2-184 is a bright emission nebula and part of an H II region in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia and is part of the Milky Way's Perseus Spiral Arm. This 20×30 arcmin sized nebulosity is also associated with open cluster IC 1590, several Bok globules and the multiple star, B 1. It collectively forms Sh2-184,[4] spanning over a larger area of 40 arcmin.[5] A recent distance from radio parallaxes of water masers at 22 GHz made during 2014 is estimated it lies 2.82±0.20 kpc (9200 ly) from us.[6] Colloquially, NGC 281 is also known as the Pacman Nebula for its resemblance to the video game character.[3]
Edward Emerson Barnard discovered the nebula in August 1883, describing it as "a large faint nebula, very diffuse". Multiple star 'B 1' or β 1 was later discovered by S. W. Burnham, whose bright component is identified as the highly luminous O6 spectral class star, HD 5005 or HIP 4121. It consists of an 8th-magnitude primary with four companions at distances between 1.4 and 15.7 arcsec. There has been no appreciable change in this quintuple system since the first measures were made in 1875.
The nebula region is visible in amateur telescopes from dark sky locations. In his book Deep Sky Wonders, Walter Scott Houston describes the appearance of the nebula in small telescopes:[](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dksfsl7lygnhrmfxsxcznf3u/bafkreidkrh27fzfuixpe7uhzhas3xine4fkim5ido4pdpglb3fdzqsz2j4)
![NGC 281, IC 11 or Sh2-184 is a bright emission nebula and part of an H II region in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia and is part of the Milky Way's Perseus Spiral Arm. This 20×30 arcmin sized nebulosity is also associated with open cluster IC 1590, several Bok globules and the multiple star, B 1. It collectively forms Sh2-184,[4] spanning over a larger area of 40 arcmin.[5] A recent distance from radio parallaxes of water masers at 22 GHz made during 2014 is estimated it lies 2.82±0.20 kpc (9200 ly) from us.[6] Colloquially, NGC 281 is also known as the Pacman Nebula for its resemblance to the video game character.[3]
Edward Emerson Barnard discovered the nebula in August 1883, describing it as "a large faint nebula, very diffuse". Multiple star 'B 1' or β 1 was later discovered by S. W. Burnham, whose bright component is identified as the highly luminous O6 spectral class star, HD 5005 or HIP 4121. It consists of an 8th-magnitude primary with four companions at distances between 1.4 and 15.7 arcsec. There has been no appreciable change in this quintuple system since the first measures were made in 1875.
The nebula region is visible in amateur telescopes from dark sky locations. In his book Deep Sky Wonders, Walter Scott Houston describes the appearance of the nebula in small telescopes:[](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dksfsl7lygnhrmfxsxcznf3u/bafkreie4f7dhzgbkshv4bjfzkie64xvtjaxsh4otwjk3x7xbeu6adbhnlu)
![Starless version of NGC 7380 is a young open cluster of stars in the northern circumpolar constellation of Cepheus, discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1787. The surrounding emission nebulosity is known colloquially as the Wizard Nebula, which spans an angle of 25′. German-born astronomer William Herschel included his sister's discovery in his catalog, and labelled it H VIII.77. The nebula is known as S 142 in the 1959 Sharpless catalog (Sh2-142). It is extremely difficult to observe visually, usually requiring very dark skies and an O-III filter. The NGC 7380 complex is located at a distance of approximately 8.5 kilolight-years from the Sun, in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way.
The cluster spans ~20 light-years (6 pc) with an elongated shape and an extended tail.[2] Age estimates range from 4[2] to 11.9[1] million years. At the center of the cluster lies DH Cephei, a close, double-lined spectroscopic binary system consisting of two massive O-type stars. This pair are the primary ionizing source for the surrounding H II region, and are driving out the surrounding gas and dust while triggering star formation in the neighboring region.[4] Of the variable stars that have been identified in the cluster, 14 have been identified as pre-main sequence stars while 17 are main sequence stars that are primarily B-type variables.[4]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dksfsl7lygnhrmfxsxcznf3u/bafkreihzc6rmho7zahykwlqfiqu5evoibf4744x7k3m5aik2ucbfy2rl6u)
![NGC 7380 is a young open cluster of stars in the northern circumpolar constellation of Cepheus, discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1787. The surrounding emission nebulosity is known colloquially as the Wizard Nebula, which spans an angle of 25′. German-born astronomer William Herschel included his sister's discovery in his catalog, and labelled it H VIII.77. The nebula is known as S 142 in the 1959 Sharpless catalog (Sh2-142). It is extremely difficult to observe visually, usually requiring very dark skies and an O-III filter. The NGC 7380 complex is located at a distance of approximately 8.5 kilolight-years from the Sun, in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way.
The cluster spans ~20 light-years (6 pc) with an elongated shape and an extended tail.[2] Age estimates range from 4[2] to 11.9[1] million years. At the center of the cluster lies DH Cephei, a close, double-lined spectroscopic binary system consisting of two massive O-type stars. This pair are the primary ionizing source for the surrounding H II region, and are driving out the surrounding gas and dust while triggering star formation in the neighboring region.[4] Of the variable stars that have been identified in the cluster, 14 have been identified as pre-main sequence stars while 17 are main sequence stars that are primarily B-type variables.[4]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dksfsl7lygnhrmfxsxcznf3u/bafkreibrgdfuy3ndlszbhi6n7pdemztutpvhr6jnsm6ix5k35fz6ebvg7i)
![Starless version of The Elephant's Trunk Nebula (IC 1396A) is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth.[1] The nebula is a dark, dense globule that gets its name from its appearance at visible light wavelengths, where there is a dark patch with a bright, sinuous rim. The bright rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive multiple star (HD 206267) that is just to the east of the Elephant's Trunk Nebula . The entire IC 1396 region is ionized by the massive star, except for dense globules that can protect themselves from the star's harsh ultraviolet rays.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dksfsl7lygnhrmfxsxcznf3u/bafkreicu5mfl34vq7zul5agnmaymx3hexllzo5igfnxenzfwms7mqnq3v4)
![Image of The Elephant's Trunk Nebula (IC 1396A) is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth.[1] The nebula is a dark, dense globule that gets its name from its appearance at visible light wavelengths, where there is a dark patch with a bright, sinuous rim. The bright rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive multiple star (HD 206267) that is just to the east of the Elephant's Trunk Nebula . The entire IC 1396 region is ionized by the massive star, except for dense globules that can protect themselves from the star's harsh ultraviolet rays.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dksfsl7lygnhrmfxsxcznf3u/bafkreib2v3lsl3qzp523swiqicj65moeonwvtdk333pspqsftenhspvgsu)
![The Pinwheel Galaxy (also known as Messier 101, M101 or NGC 5457) is a face-on, counterclockwise intermediate spiral galaxy located 21 million light-years (6.4 megaparsecs)[5] from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781[a] and was communicated that year to Charles Messier, who verified its position for inclusion in the Messier Catalogue as one of its final entries.
On February 28, 2006, NASA and the European Space Agency released a very detailed image of the Pinwheel Galaxy, which was the largest and most detailed image of a galaxy by Hubble Space Telescope at the time.[10] The image was composed of 51 individual exposures, plus some extra ground-based photos.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dksfsl7lygnhrmfxsxcznf3u/bafkreibi3nlwmkw562uerqau4ba4wgzjckixvuilf7uoltxyjmhqjhblwi)
![The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51a (M51a) or NGC 5194, is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus. It lies in the constellation Canes Venatici, and was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy.[9] It is 31 million light-years (9.5 megaparsecs/Mpc) away and 23.58 kiloparsecs (76,900 ly) in diameter.
The galaxy and its companion, NGC 5195, are easily observed by amateur astronomers, and the two galaxies may be seen with binoculars. The Whirlpool Galaxy has been extensively observed by professional astronomers, who study it and its pair with dwarf galaxy NGC 5195 to understand galaxy structure (particularly structure associated with the spiral arms) and galaxy interactions. Its pair with NGC 5195 is among the most famous and relatively close interacting systems, and thus is a favorite subject of galaxy interaction models.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dksfsl7lygnhrmfxsxcznf3u/bafkreigqfvr4mrpjkie3jipjd7hvgvgfdk5ozl77b3tcox4kyvm64rh7hi)
