COPYRIGHT, PLEASE NOTE
Friday, October 24, 2025
ICARUS, the final flight
My latest photo shows a small portion of the Veil Nebula supernova remnant in Cygnus. I have wanted to photograph this tiny, knot-like object for a long time, making it the main character of the composition. I couldn’t find any catalog number for this object — if someone knows it, please drop a comment and I’ll add it here.
After I stacked all the data and saw the full-resolution image for the first time, I had the strange feeling that I had seen this composition before. A moment later I realised what it reminded me of — an old painting of Icarus from Greek mythology.
Click for a large image, 1600 x 2000 pixels
This is how I saw it in my head
Click for a large image, 1600 x 2000 pixels
The area of interest is marked as a white rectangle
O-III, 9x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 3h
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Western Veil nebula, the Witch's Broom
This is my first-light image for the autumn season 2025.
I collected a total of 34 hours of exposure time over a period of about two months for this two-frame mosaic. The seeing conditions were relatively good for my location, with FWHM values ranging between 1.6 and 2.5 throughout the sessions.
Witch's Broom Nebula
Click for a large image, 3500 x 1800 pixels
A full resolution closeup in
Click for a large image, 3500 x 1800 pixels
Witch's Broom Nebula, O-III emission alone
Click for a large image, 3500 x 1800 pixels
Click for a large image, 3500 x 1800 pixels
The emission from H-alpha and S-II are seen as red, blueish tones are from an emission of ionized oxygen, O-III. This combination is very close to a visual colors of the nebula.The Veil Nebula supernova remnant in constellation Cygnus.
The area of interest is marked as a white rectangle
Technical details
O-III, 6x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 13
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
A two Frame Panorama of IC 1805, the Heart Nebula
I just published an image of the unnamed pillar-like formation inside the Heart Nebula.
I've created a two-frame mosaic from the new photo, showing its relation to Melotte 15 at the center of the Heart Nebula.
As is usually the case, these pillar-like formations point toward the source of ionization. When radiation pressure (solar wind) push gas and dust away from a newborn star cluster, denser regions of gas can resist this force and begin to collapse. This process leads to the formation of the pillar-like structures. The tips of these pillars can become the birthplace of a second generation of stars within the nebula.
A Hidden Pillar and Melotte 15 in IC 1805, the Heart Nebula
Click for a large image, 3000 x 1700 pixels.


Technical Details and other info can be seen in this blog post
Unnamed Pillar Formation

Technical Details and other info can be seen in this blog post
Strange Pillar like Formation in IC 1805, The Heart Nebula
This is an object in the Heart Nebula that I have captured from time to time. My previous photo was taken in 2012.
This new photo reveals more details, even though the exposure time for H-alpha light was only 5 hours.
The pillar-like formations are typically pointing toward a source of ionization, in this case, the more famous Melotte 15.
I haven't been able to find a name for this beautiful object
A mapped color image from a light emitted by an ionized elements, sulfur=red, hydrogen=green and oxygen=blue. Original resolution 6500 x 6500 pixelsO-III, 6x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 2h
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Soul Nebula, IC1848
Click for a large image, 2000 x 2000 pixels

Click for a large image, 2000 x 2300 pixels
Click for a large image, 4600 x 2000 pixels
Hearth and Soul Nebulae at upper right corner
O-III, 6x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 2h
Monday, March 24, 2025
Melotte 15 in heart nebula, IC 1805
I shot material for this new photo back in February, 10 hours of exposures total for three narrowband color channels. (H-alpha, O-III and S-II)
Click for a large image, 2000 x 2000 pixels
Click for a large image, 2500 x 3200 pixels
O-III, 6x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 2h
Monday, March 17, 2025
HFG1, a Planetary Nebula in Cassiopeia
I managed to get 17 hours of H-alpha light for the HFG1 and now I'm able to do color photo out of it.
This is a difficult target, very diffused and large, I tried to keep my processing kind of modest to bring out delectate nature of an old and dim planetary Nebula.
Total exposure time is 37 hours and signal wasn't the best possible but I'm happy with this result.
HFG1 in O-III light only
Click for a large image, 2000x2000 pixels
H-alpha, 51 x 1200 s = 17h
Saturday, March 8, 2025
NGC 281, a New Revision
I made a new composition out of my new NGC 281 material, the original composition and technical details can be seen here: https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2025/01/new-photo-of-ngc-281.html
This new poster format composition brings out the dynamic nature of this target better.
Click for a large image, 2000x2600 pixels
Thursday, March 6, 2025
A Very Deep View to my Soul, IC1848
This is a new photo of the Soul Nebula in Cassiopeia.
A total of 20 hours of H-alpha exposure, along with 6 hours of S-II and O-III combined, allows me to capture intricate details of this relatively bright astronomical cloud of gas and dust.
Click for a large image, 2100x2300 pixels
sulfur=red, hydrogen=green and oxygen=blue
Click for a full size, 2100x2300 pixels
O-III,21x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 3h
A single calibrated 20 min exposure of H-alpha, Bin 1x1
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
HFG1, a Challenging Planetary in Cassiopeia
I have planning to shoot this dim, diffused and large planetary nebula for a long time. The imaging season up here 65N is over in few weeks since we'll loose astronomical darkness for six months due to high latitude.
So far I have collected about 20 hours of exposures of light emitted by a triple ionized oxygen, O-III
I think it's very beautiful as it now but I'll add H-alpha light when ever weather allows.
HFG1
Click for a large image, 2000x2000 pixels
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
A Cosmic genesis, IC 410 in Auriga
UPDATE
My photo of IC410 ended up to the PetaPixel, world's leading independent photography publication.
This must be one of my best photos of IC410 so far, and I'm very pleased with the result.
I’ve been shooting this target over and over again for decades, and every time it has shown me something new. (There are links to older versions of IC410 at the end of this blog post.)
This has been a fascinating object for me, as it holds great symbolism. Overall, this nebula resembles a microscopic photo of human fertilization, where new life is about to be born, and the germ cells are meeting each other.
New things are being born in this photo as well, but not life as we know it. At the tips of those tadpole-like formations, the gas is collapsing, and new stars are beginning to form. For scale, those tadpoles are about ten light-years long and located about 10.000 light-years away from us.
In fact, they are the second generation of stars in this nebula. The first group was the open cluster of stars at the center of the image, NGC 1893. This group of stars is also responsible for the appearance of the entire nebula complex. The radiation pressure from the stars shapes the gas and causes it to glow by ionizing the elements within it. This same radiation pressure also causes the gas to collapse, starting the process of second-generation star formation in the nebula.
The seeing was very good in my conditions, with an FWHM of 1.6 (typically it's between 2.2 - 3.0). The total exposure time is around 30 hours, collected over several nights during a three-month period between the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025
A Cosmic Genesis, IC 410
Click for a full size, 2700x2400 pixels
sulfur=red, hydrogen=green and oxygen=blue
Click for a full size, 2100x2100 pixels
sulfur=red, hydrogen=red and oxygen=blue, this combination is very close to a natural color palette
Click for a full size, 2900x1600 pixels
Info about this massive photo can be seen in this Blog post:
https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-grande-mosaic-of-auriga.html
Info about this massive photo can be seen in this Blog post:
https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/03/new-photo-deep-in-to-darkness.html
My older photos of the IC 410 in Chronological Order
2008, my first photo of IC 410, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2008/03/ic-405-410-with-color.html
2008, my second tryout with IC 410, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2008/11/ic405-ic410-in-hst-hubble-space.html
2010, version, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2010/01/ic-410-cosmic-fertilization.html
2012, version, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-cosmic-fertilization.html
2015 version, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2015/02/new-photo-ic-410-in-auriga.html
2015, 3D studies of IC410, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2015/07/an-experimental-3d-study-of-emission_28.html
2020, a wide field mosaic, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/03/new-photo-deep-in-to-darkness.html
2020, IC 410 as apart of an interesting mosaic version, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-birth-of-venus.html
IC 410, a Photo from 2012 vs 2025 Version of it
Click for a full size, 1500x1500 pixels

I noticed some movement in a one star, it's marked at upper right
There are other small movement at stars but it's just due to a different optical curvatures between two optical configurations.
The details in the tadpoles are much clearer in the new version, the dark nebulae now show fine structures, and the gas complex at the lower left—barely visible in the 2012 photo—now reveals beautiful details. The amount and clarity of the stars are amazing in the new version, along with many other small features that have now been captured.
O-III,21x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 7h
A single calibrated 20 min exposure of H-alpha, Bin 1x1
Friday, January 24, 2025
Star Pointers
I have made an alternative composition out of my photo of Cederblad 214. There are several pillar like structures in the nebula and they all are pointing to the open cluster NGC 7822 due to solar wind, a radiation pressure. Original photo can be seen here with technical details: https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2025/01/cederbald-214.html
CEDERBLAD 214 AND THE STAR POINTERS
Click for a large image, 1600 x 2300 pixels
Friday, January 17, 2025
Cederbald 214
This winter season I have shot some of my old targets again with my new imaging system. It takes some time to get familiar with a new system and get everything out of them technically.
I have been really happy with the optical quality of my 142 Celestron EDGE telescope, specially with the secondary mirror focuser does the trick, no more mirror flops since main mirror is locked down all the time. Mesu mount Mark II has served well as a very solid imaging platform.
CEDERBLAD 214 AND THE STAR POINTERS
Click for a large image, 1400 x 2000 pixels
Click for a full size, 2000x2000 pixels
sulfur=red, hydrogen=green and oxygen=blue
Structure Study of the Cederblad 214

















































