The Leo Triplet, also known as the M66 Group, is a stunning trio of interacting galaxies located about 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. This group consists of the spiral galaxies M65, M66, and NGC 3628, each showcasing unique structural features due to their gravitational interactions. M65 and M66 are both bright and prominent, with well-defined spiral arms, while NGC 3628, also known as the Hamburger Galaxy, displays a striking dust lane cutting across its edge-on orientation.

These interactions have led to the formation of tidal tails and distortions in the galaxies' shapes, providing astronomers with valuable insights into galactic evolution and dynamics. The Leo Triplet is a popular target for amateur astronomers and astrophotographers due to its relatively close proximity and the fascinating interplay of its member galaxies, making it a prime example of the cosmic ballet occurring throughout the universe.

M100, also known as NGC 4321, stands as a majestic example of a grand spiral galaxy, nestled within the constellation Coma Berenices. With its sweeping spiral arms and bright core, M100 exhibits intricate patterns of star formation and stellar activity across its vast expanse. Spanning approximately 107,000 light-years in diameter, M100 ranks among the largest galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, a rich cluster of galaxies located some 55 million light-years away from Earth.

As one of the brightest members of the Virgo Cluster, M100 offers astronomers a wealth of insights into the dynamics of galactic evolution. Its spiral arms are adorned with regions of intense star formation, where massive stars are born from the gravitational collapse of dense molecular clouds. Additionally, M100 harbors a supermassive black hole at its center, whose gravitational influence shapes the galaxy's structure and influences its surrounding environment. By studying galaxies like M100, astronomers gain valuable knowledge about the processes driving the formation and evolution of galaxies throughout the universe.

M78, a reflection nebula situated in the constellation of Orion, captivates us with its ethereal beauty and celestial significance. Located approximately 1,600 light-years away from Earth, this nebula is illuminated by the light of young, hot stars embedded within its dusty embrace. Its distinctive bluish glow emanates from the scattering of starlight by interstellar dust grains, creating a mesmerizing spectacle against the dark backdrop of space.

M78 is a prominent member of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, a vast region of gas and dust where new stars are born. Within its wispy tendrils lie stellar nurseries, where dense clouds of gas collapse under their own gravity to form newborn stars. M78 serves as a celestial laboratory, offering us valuable insights into the processes of star formation and the interplay between young stars and their natal environments. As a beacon of cosmic evolution, M78 continues to inspire exploration and discovery, inviting us to peer into the depths of the universe and unravel its mysteries.

The Trifid Nebula's vivid hues are brought to life by the radiation from young, hot stars, which excite the surrounding hydrogen gas, causing it to glow with a mesmerizing red hue. Intertwined among the bright emission nebula, dark lanes of obscuring dust create captivating contrasts, while reflection nebulae scatter and reflect the light of nearby stars, adding a soft, ethereal glow.

Image Description and Details :

The Pacman Nebula (NGC 281) is a cosmic cloud of space gas rich in Hydrogen Alpha (red/orange) and Oxygen (blue) located in the constellation Cassiopeia. It gets its name from the classic video game character it resembles. NGC 281 is a rather diffuse red-glowing emission nebula. It includes a small, yet noticeable open star cluster (IC 1590) and some really dynamic dust lanes. The prominent lane of dark dust cutting into this glowing nebula creates the “mouth” of this nebulas shape.The Pacman Nebula contains Bok globules, which are small and isolated dark nebulae containing dense amounts of dust and gas. These collections of cosmic gas and dust are often followed by the formation of new stars.Captured with 14.5 hours of narrowband data under a near full moon and Bortle Class 4 skies near downtown Flagstaff, Arizona.OTA: William Optics GT81 using 0.8x Flat6A-81 reducerMount: Celestron CGX-LCamera: ZWO ASI294MM ProGain: 100Filters:Night 1Chroma 3nm Oiii 900s x 32 = 8hrsNight 2Chroma 5nm Ha 900s x 26 = 6.5hrsCooling Temperature: -10 CelsiusAuto-guiding: ZWO ASI174MM Mini and ZWO M48 OAGControl: ZWO ASIAIR ProCalibrated in Astro Pixel Processor⁣ with darks and flatsProcessed in Pixinsight and Lightroom

Copyright: Drew Evans

The LOBSTER CLAW (SH2-157) & BUBBLE NEBULA (SH2-162), or Sharpless 157 (Sh2-157), is an emission nebula, around 12,000 light-years from Earth between the Cassiopeia and Cepheus constellations. There are several interesting features in this nebula rich region, including the Bubble Nebula, NGC 7635 (or Sh2-162), a HII region emission nebula which lies in a surrounding shell, and excited by the star SAO 20575. Also in the frame are the Wolf-Rayet massive star WR 157, two large open clusters of stars NGC 7510 and NGC 7654, and the nebula NGC 7538, which is home to the largest yet discovered protostar, 300 times the size of our solar system! This image was captured over the span of a week totaling 14.2 hours in narrowband. Each filter was mapped to the Hubble Palette. OTA: William Optics GT81 using 0.8x Flat6A-81 reducerMount: Celestron CGX-LCamera: ZWO ASI294MM ProGain: 100 Night 13nm Sii 22x600s3.7 hours Night 27nm Oiii 30x600s5 hours Night 33nm Ha 22x900s5.5 hours 14.2 hours total Cooling Temperature: -10 CelsiusAuto-guiding: ZWO ASI174MM Mini and ZWO M48 OAGControl: ZWO ASIAIR Pro Flagstaff, AZ - Bortle 4 skies Calibrated in Astro Pixel Processor⁣ with darks and flatsProcessed in Pixinsight and Lightroom

Copyright: Copyright: Drew Evans

Image Detail:

Here is the beautiful pair of the Hockey Stick (NGC 4656) and Whale galaxies (NGC 4631) in the constellation Canes Venatici. There are dozens of other more distant galaxies in the background that were too faint to plate solve.

The smaller “Hockey Stick Galaxy” on the left is mainly blue because of the large amount of young blue stars. Typically, abundance of star birth activity indicates some violent event, which triggered the condensation of gas clouds into proto-stars, which lead to occurrence of many new young stars. Such event is very often merger of two galaxies and the slightly irregular shape of NGC4656 and also streams of stars reaching far from the galaxy spiral arms hint such merger occurred only recently.

The larger Whale Galaxy at right is probably rather typical spiral galaxy, but visible from the side. It shows a yellow and orange central bulge, composed mainly of old stars, as well as dark interstellar dust lanes and dark reddish hydrogen clouds around the galaxy disk. Light blue portions indicate presence of many bright, young blue stars consuming the outer arms.

OTA: Explore Scientific ED152 Air-Spaced Triplet 1216mm focal length⁣ f/8Mount: Celestron CGX-LCamera: ZWO ASI2600MM ProGain: 100Cooling Temperature: -10 CelsiusAuto-guiding: ZWO ASI174MM Mini and ZWO M68 OAGControl: ZWO ASIAIR ProFilters: 2" Astronomik L3, RGB (CCD), Ha (12nm)

Acquisition:L 60 x 300s = 5 hoursR 31 x 600s = 5.2 hoursG 31 x 600s = 5.2 hoursB 31 x 600s = 5.2 hoursHa 15 x 900s = 3.75 hours24.35 hours total

Flagstaff, AZ - Bortle 4 skiesCalibrated in Astro Pixel Processor⁣ with darks and flatsProcessed in Pixinsight and Lightroom

Copyright: Drew Evans