Barnard 142 and 143, often referred to as "Barnard's E," are striking examples of dark nebulae located in the constellation Aquila, around 2,000 light-years from Earth. These nebulae, cataloged by the American astronomer E.E. Barnard, appear as dark patches against the dense star field of the Milky Way, obscuring the light from the stars behind them with their thick dust clouds.

The dense star field surrounding Barnard 142 and 143 accentuates the contrast of these dark nebulae, making them prominent features in the night sky. The intricate structures within these nebulae highlight the complex nature of interstellar dust clouds, providing a fascinating study for both amateur and professional astronomers.

Here is a view of the relatively new supernova SN 2020jfo located in the beautiful spiral galaxy Messier 61 in the constellation Virgo. The left image was taken on May 13, 2020 showing the bright supernova, the image on the right was taken on April 1, 2019. Doing a quick comparison, it looks to be hovering at magnitude 14. This supernova was discovered on 6th May 2020 by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF)

Tech Specs: Meade 12” LX-90, ZWO ASI071mc-Pro, 55 x 60 second exposures, guided using a ZWO ASI290MC and Orion 60mm guide scope. Captured using Sequence Generator Pro and processed using PixInsight. Image date: May 13, 2020. Location: The Dark Side Observatory, Weatherly, PA, USA. — at The Dark Side Observatory.

Copyright: Thomas Wildoner