The California Nebula
================

Stretching across nearly 100 light-years, this glowing river of hydrogen is known as the California Nebula. Located about 1,000–1,500 light-years away in the constellation Perseus, it’s far too faint to see with the naked eye — but long-exposure astrophotography reveals its true form.

The nebula shines almost entirely in H-alpha light, energized by intense radiation from the nearby hot star Xi Persei. What looks like a soft, golden cloud is actually a turbulent region of ionized gas, dust, and ongoing star formation.

Five times wider than the full Moon and yet nearly invisible visually, NGC 1499 is a perfect reminder of how much of the universe hides just beyond human perception.

Scope: Askar 103APO
Lens: Askar 0.6x Reducer
Camera: ZWO ASI 294MC Pro
Filter: Antlia Tri-Band RGB Ultra
Mount: SkyWatcher AZ-EQ5-GT
Guiding: SkyWatcher Evoguide 50ED with ZWO ASI 224MC
Controller: ZWO ASIAir Pro
Focusser: ZWO EAF

Integration time: 10hrs 25min

Full version and print available at:
https://adfr.io/astro/20251218_ngc1499/

#astrophotography #astrophoto #astrophotographer #deepsky #deepskyphotography #deepskyobject #deepskyastrophotography #nebula #deepspace #space #nightsky #astronomy #cosmos #stargazing #spaceisart #Narrowband #SpacePhotography #BackyardAstronomy #AstronomyLovers #starchild #cosmicwonder #spaceart #universetoday #instaastro #ngc1499 #californianebula

This isn’t a flower. 🌹

It’s the Rosette Nebula — a vast stellar nursery nearly 130 light-years wide, sculpted by intense radiation from young stars.

The deep reds come from glowing hydrogen gas, energized by ultraviolet light, while dark dust lanes trace regions where future stars may still form. The light captured here began its journey around 5,000 years ago, long before it reached this frame.

A moment of cosmic creation and erosion—where science, time, and art intersect.

Scope: Askar 103APO
Lens: Askar 0.6x Reducer
Camera: ZWO ASI 294MC Pro
Filter: Antlia Tri-Band RGB Ultra
Mount: SkyWatcher AZ-EQ5-GT
Guiding: SkyWatcher Evoguide 50ED with ZWO ASI 224MC
Controller: ZWO ASIAir Pro
Focusser: ZWO EAF

Integration time: 2hrs 25min

Full version and print available at:
https://adfr.io/astro/20251215_ngc2237/

#astrophotography #astrophoto #astrophotographer #deepsky #deepskyphotography #deepskyobject #deepskyastrophotography #nebula #deepspace #space #nightsky #astronomy #cosmos #stargazing #spaceisart #Narrowband #SpacePhotography #BackyardAstronomy #AstronomyLovers #starchild #cosmicwonder #spaceart #universetoday #instaastro #ngc2237 #rosettenebula

The Pleiades
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A year after my first wide-field capture of the Pleiades, I revisited M45 with a tighter composition to reveal more of its hidden structure.

This close-up view brings out the delicate blue wisps of the reflection nebula—filaments, arcs, and soft dust clouds shaped by the hot young stars of the cluster.

With deeper integration and refined processing, this new image highlights just how intricate and dynamic the Pleiades truly are.

Scope: Askar 103APO
Lens: Askar 0.6x Reducer
Scope: Askar 103APO
Lens: Askar 0.6x Reducer
Camera: ZWO ASI 294MC Pro
Filter: Svbony UV/IR Cut
Mount: SkyWatcher AZ-EQ5-GT
Guiding: SkyWatcher Evoguide 50ED with ZWO ASI 224MC
Controller: ZWO ASIAir Pro
Focusser: ZWO EAF

Integration time: 6hrs 24min

Full version and print available at:
https://adfr.io/astro/20251122_m45/

#astrophotography #astrophoto #astrophotographer #deepsky #deepskyphotography #deepskyobject #deepskyastrophotography #nebula #deepspace #space #nightsky #astronomy #cosmos #stargazing #spaceisart #SpacePhotography #BackyardAstronomy #AstronomyLovers #starchild #cosmicwonder #spaceart #universetoday #instaastro #messier45 #m45 #pleiades #plejaden

M82 - Cigar Galaxy.
ZWO Seestar S50.
250mm, f5, 1888 exposures of 10’’.
#telescope #telescopes #zwo #zwoasi #zwoseestar #zwoseestars50 #seestar #seestars50 #astro #astrophoto #astrophotos #astrophotography #astrophotographer #spacephotography #astronomy #spaceexploration #nasa #universe #space #deepsky #deepsky #deepspace #galaxy #galaxies #cigar #cigargalaxy #m82 #messier82 #messier #ngc3034

A very quick and dirty first test with my new Seestar S30, with only 20 minutes on target.
I’m pleasantly surprised by this baby scope, considering its specs and price point.
ZWO Seestar S30.
150mm, f5, 118 exposures of 10’’.
#telescope #telescopes #zwo #zwoasi #zwoseestar #zwoseestars30 #seestar #seestars30 #astro #astrophoto #astrophotos #astrophotography #astrophotographer #spacephotography #astronomy #spaceexploration #nasa #universe #space #deepsky #deepspace #galaxy #galaxies #andromeda #andromedagalaxy #m31 #messier31 #messier

The North America Nebula
====================

This is my latest image of the North America Nebula, a vast emission region in Cygnus, about 2,600 light-years away. The resemblance to the North American continent is striking — even in the raw data, the “Gulf of Mexico” region glows vividly in hydrogen light.

Captured and processed in the HOO palette (Hydrogen–Oxygen–Oxygen), the image combines warm hydrogen tones with cool oxygen blues. This mapping brings out the delicate structures and ionization fronts hidden in the nebula — the areas where newborn stars sculpt their surroundings with light and wind.

The dark band cutting across the nebula is a dense molecular cloud (L935), blocking the light behind it. Inside these dusty regions, new stars are still forming — invisible in visible light but revealed through narrowband imaging.

Every time I process this region, I’m reminded of how alive our galaxy is — constantly building, shaping, and recycling itself.

Scope: Askar 103APO
Lens: Askar 0.6x Reducer
Camera: ZWO ASI 294MC Pro
Filter: Antlia Tri-Band RGB Ultra
Mount: SkyWatcher AZ-EQ5-GT
Guiding: SkyWatcher Evoguide 50ED with ZWO ASI 224MC
Controller: ZWO ASIAir Pro
Focusser: ZWO EAF

Integration time: 3hrs 20min

Full version and print available at:
https://adfr.io/astro/20251105_ngc7000/

#astrophotography #astrophoto #astrophotographer #deepsky #deepskyphotography #deepskyobject #deepskyastrophotography #nebula #deepspace #space #nightsky #astronomy #cosmos #stargazing #spaceisart #Narrowband #SpacePhotography #BackyardAstronomy #AstronomyLovers #starchild #cosmicwonder #spaceart #universetoday #instaastro #NGC7000 #northamerica

M81 - Bode’s Galaxy.
ZWO Seestar S50.
250mm, f5, 2956 exposures of 10’’, 8 hours, 12 minutes.
#telescope #telescopes #zwo #zwoasi #zwoseestar #zwoseestars50 #seestar #seestars50 #astro #astrophoto #astrophotos #astrophotography #astrophotographer #spacephotography #astronomy #spaceexploration #nasa #universe #space #deepsky #deepsky #deepspace #galaxy #galaxies #bode #bodegalaxy #m81 #messier81 #messier #ngc3031

Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) on October 28, 2025.
The motor on my Celestron is unfortunately out of order, so I did what I could with the Seestar.
ZWO Seestar S50.
250mm, f5, 347 exposures of 10’’.
#telescope #telescopes #celestron #celestrontelescope #celestronnexstar #nexstarevolution #nexstarevolution6 #zwo #zwoasi #zwoasi585mc #astro #astrophoto #astrophotos #astrophotography #astrophotographer #spacephotography #astronomy #spaceexploration #nasa #universe #space #deepsky #deepspace #comet #c2025r2 #c2025r2swan #swan

NGC7822 - Quick session interrupted by clouds.
ZWO Seestar S50 - @seestar.official.
250mm, f5, 660 exposures of 10’’.
#telescope #telescopes #zwo #zwoasi #zwoseestar #zwoseestars50 #seestar #seestars50 #astro #astrophoto #astrophotos #astrophotography #astrophotographer #spacephotography #astronomy #spaceexploration #nasa #universe #space #deepsky #deepspace #nebula #ngc #ngc7822

Had a little over an hour to throw my gear out behind the station to get this. Turned out pretty good even with a full moon. 🚑 anyhow…….hears the Orion Nebula……#astrophotographer #deepsky #deepskyphotography #oregon #dwarf3 #m42 #astrophotography #deepspacephotography

M81 Bode's Galaxy and M82 Cigar Galaxy.
ZWO Seestar S50.
250mm, f5, 1220 exposures of 10’’.
#telescope #telescopes #zwo #zwoasi #zwoseestar #zwoseestars50 #seestar #seestars50 #astro #astrophoto #astrophotos #astrophotography #astrophotographer #spacephotography #astronomy #spaceexploration #nasa #universe #space #deepsky #deepspace #galaxy #galaxies #bode #bodegalaxy #cigar #cigargalaxy #m81 #m82 #messier81 #messier82 #messier