Friday, December 26, 2025
The last new photo for the year 2025, Sh2-114
This is my final image of the year 2025: The Flying Dragon Nebula, Sharpless 114 (Sh2-114).
Captured with my new 14" Celestron Edge telescope, equipped with a 0.7× reducer and an Apogee ALTA U9000M camera with 12-micron pixels, the system is perfectly matched to my typical seeing conditions. It delivers a resolution of 0.92 arcseconds per pixel.
This image is a good example of how deep I can reach with a relatively modest total exposure time. The target is not an easy one due to its extremely low surface brightness. The total exposure time was 42 hours in H-alpha and 8 hours in O-III.
Seeing conditions were good for most of the time, varying between 1.5 and 2.2 arcseconds FWHM. The data were collected between September and November 2025.
As an interesting bonus, Kn 26, a rare quadrupolar planetary nebula, appears at the far right edge of the image field.
The Flying Dragon, Sharpless 114, and
a Quadrupolar Planetary Nebula
Please, click for a large image, 2000x2000 pixels
The red emission originates from hydrogen (H-alpha), while the bluish tones are produced by ionised oxygen (O III). This colour combination closely represents the nebula’s natural visual appearance.
Note: Kn 26, a rare quadrupolar planetary nebula, is marked with a white ring at the far right edge of the image.
A Closeup
Please, click for a large image
Kn26, a Quadrupolar Planetary Nebula
This rare type of planetary nebula was a welcome bonus in my image.More information about this object can be found in a paper published in 2013:
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/pdf/2013/03/aa20592-12.pdf
The Flying Dragon in H-alpha emission only
Please, click for a large image, 2000x2000 pixels
Please, click for a large image, 2000x2000 pixels
42 hours of H-alpha light
A Closeup
Please, click for a large image
Please, click for a large image
The Flying Dragon with and without stars
Please, click for a large image, 2000x2000 pixels
Please, click for a large image, 2000x2000 pixels
INFO
Sh2-114 is a complex and unusual HII emission nebula. Its complex, wispy structure is likely the result of winds from hot, massive stars interacting with the magnetic fields in the interstellar medium. But very little is known about it. (Source, https://www.noao.edu/image_gallery/html/im1112.html)
There is a planetary nebula at the same field of view, Lan 384 (Kn 26)
Using existing digital sky surveys, Jacoby et al. (2010) presented Kn 26, a bipolar PN candidate known for a long time as the emission line source Lan 384. Here we present high spatial-resolution optical and near-IR narrow-band images of this nebula, high-dispersion long-slit echelle spectra, and low-resolution spectroscopy. The new data confirm the PN nature of Kn 26 and reveal features typical of bipolar PNe: butterfly morphology, H2 emission, and nitrogen enrichment. A detailed analysis of the morphology and kinematics, however, suggests the possible presence of two pairs of bipolar lobes that would make Kn 26 a new member of the class of quadrupolar PN.
Orientation in the Sky
Please, click for a large image, 2500x3200 pixels
More information about this extensive mosaic can be found here:
https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2022/01/cygnus-mosaic-in-visual-colors.html
Technical details
Processing workflow
Image acquisition, MaximDL v6.5
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 27 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS
Levels and curves in PS
Imaging optics,
Celestron EDGE 14" with 0.7 Focal reducer
Mount,
MesuMount Mark II
Cameras,
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U9000M and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and SXV-AO Active Optics @ 5hz
filters,
Astrodon 5nm H-alpha and 3nm O-III
Total exposure time 50h
H-alpha, 126 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 42 h
O-III, 24x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 8
O-III, 24x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 8
Friday, December 19, 2025
SOMETHING NEW AND DIFFERENT
Location:
Hallituskatu 12 — just beside Oulu City Hall
Hallituskatu 12 — just beside Oulu City Hall
Open daily from 13:00 to 18:00 until 23 December 2025.
The JiiPee.art Showroom will officially open on 9 January 2026.
The JiiPee.art Showroom will officially open on 9 January 2026.
Across two floors and 250 square metres, astronomical art unfolds—an immersive journey through space, light, and time.
Open daily from 13:00 to 18:00 until 23 December 2025.
The JiiPee.art Showroom will officially open on 9 January 2026.
The JiiPee.art Showroom will officially open on 9 January 2026.
Monday, November 24, 2025
Soap Bubble Nebula, Ju 1
This beautiful and symmetric planetary nebula drifts in the constellation Cygnus at a distance of about 4,000 light-years from us.
Ju 1 (PN G075.5+01.7) was discovered in 2007 by amateur astronomer Dave Jurasevich.
With an angular diameter of about 260 arcseconds, the nebula is extremely faint, and its position against a backdrop of diffuse emission made it particularly difficult to detect.
My image of this planetary nebula has a total exposure time of 35 hours — 30 hours in O III and 5 hours in H-alpha — captured over several nights between 20 October and 17 November 2025.
Soap Bubble Nebula
Click for a large image, 1600x1900 pixels
The emission from H-alpha is 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.
Soap Bubble up close and personal
Click for a large image, 1700x1700 pixels
Soap Bubble in O-III emission only
Click for a large image, 1600x1900 pixels
Technical details
Processing workflow
Image acquisition, MaximDL v6.5
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 27 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS
Levels and curves in PS
Imaging optics,
Celestron EDGE 14" with 0.7 Focal reducer
Mount,
MesuMount Mark II
Cameras,
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U9000M and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and SXV-AO Active Optics @ 5hz
filters,
Astrodon 5nm H-alpha and 3nm O-III
Total exposure time 30h
H-alpha, 15 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 5 h
O-III, 90 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 30 h
O-III, 90 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 30 h
Calibrated 1200s Raw-images of H-alpha and O-III
Exposures are calibrated with bias corrected flat frames and unliterary stretched to be visible
Single H-alpha Frame of 20 min exposure.
Single O-III Frame of 20 min exposure
Thursday, November 20, 2025
New book with Sir Brian May is out!
ISLANDS IN INFINITY, GALAXIES 3D
Buy a copy (UK store)
https://shop.londonstereo.com/islands-in-infinity-galaxies-3-d.html
You will be able to purchase the book directly from me as soon as the copies arrive here — in about two weeks or so. I’ll announce the opening of my online book shop both on social media and here.
From left to right: Prof. Ward-Thompson, Sir Brian May and yours truly
Our new book was published at the Museum of Brands in London on Thursday, 13 November 2025.
What a hectic and wonderful experience with the whole book team and a large, enthusiastic audience.
This is the first book in the world that lets readers see the real shapes of galaxies and galaxy groups in true 3D — a completely new way to understand cosmic structures.
VIDEO
Sir Brian May talks about how our collaboration began
Please, click the image to see the video
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Video was taken at 2020, when out first book, Cosmic Clouds 3D was published
Photos and videos from the publication event in London, 13 November 2025
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Location: Museum of Brands in London (Photo, J-P Peltoniemi)
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Sir Brian May and J-P at front of media (Photo, J-P Peltoniemi)
A photoshoot just before opening of the event
J-P and Sir Brian May
You can’t experience the photos in true 3D in this video the way the audience did during the live presentation.
Sorry about the image and audio quality — the lighting improves towards the end, during the audience questions.
Sorry about the image and audio quality — the lighting improves towards the end, during the audience questions.
ISLANDS IN INFINITY: GALAXIES 3-D
by Brian May, Professor Derek Ward-Thompson, J-P Metsävainio,
published by The London Stereoscopic Company, 13 November 2025 https://shop.londonstereo.com
Islands in Infinity is the first book to explore galaxies in stereoscopic 3-D. Created by Brian May (PhD in Astronomy), Professor Derek Ward-Thompson (galaxy expert), and astro-photography master J-P Metsävainio, it offers a groundbreaking visual journey through the cosmos, accompanied by compelling narrative.
Featuring more than 200 colour images from the world’s leading land- and space-based telescopes, along with over 80 original artworks, Islands in Infinity delivers a breathtaking 3-D introduction to the formation, nature, evolution, and classification of some of the 200 billion galaxies that fill the observable Universe. The use of stereoscopic technology allows us to see deeper into galaxies and gain insights never before possible.
Readers are taken on an extraordinary voyage through the weird and wonderful shapes of colliding and merging galaxies, witnessing their chaotic transformations. Moving toward the edge of the visible Universe, the book explores how galaxies gather in clusters and superclusters, looking outward—and back in time—toward the dawn of the cosmos and the Big Bang itself.
Each copy comes complete with a Lite OWL Stereoscopic Viewer, designed by Brian May which will bring the images to life in the magic of 3-D.
Sir Brian May says - For the very first time, readers will be able to enjoy stereoscopic renderings of galaxies previously only seen as flat ‘mono’ images. And this, coupled with a text from one of the world’s experts on the evolution of galaxies, will give a uniquely new insight into the Universe as it is now perceived. Moreover, it’s an account understandable and enjoyable by anyone interested in the biggest subject in the Universe - not just astro experts. It will be a gripping read !!
Professor Ward-Thompson says - In this book you will, I hope, find everything you need to understand what galaxies are, how they originated, how they have evolved into many different types of galaxy, and how they interact and give birth to everything we experience on our tiny blue planet inside our Solar System, itself inside our very own Galaxy, the Milky Way.
J-P Metsävainio says - I undertook a major but deeply rewarding task: converting a vast number of galaxies into 3D stereo while ensuring that every detail remained as scientifically accurate as possible. It was truly thrilling to watch these complex structures come to life before my eyes as I saw them in three dimensions for the first time. Galaxy clusters revealed their true nature, with accurate relative distances, and delicate dust lanes appearing to float in front of the galactic discs. I felt as if I were holding the universe in my hands — and I hope readers will share that same eye-opening experience through the pages of this book.
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