Author Archives: macnmotion
NGC 7000 – The Cygnus Wall
The Cygnus Wall, a portion of the North American Nebula (NGC 7000) in the constellation Cygnus. The nebula is approximately 1,500 light years from Earth, and the Cygnus Wall spans about 20 light years.
M 51 – Whirlpool Galaxy
M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy, a face-on spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici, is somewhere around 25 million light years from Earth. It is estimated to be about 35% the size of our own Milky Way.
M 8 – Lagoon Nebula
The Lagoon Nebula (M8) is an emission nebula in the constellation Sagittarius, approximately 4,000-6,000 light years from Earth.
NGC 1977 – Running Man Nebula
The Running Man Nebula is a reflection nebula 1/2 degree (about the diameter of the moon) north of the great Orion Nebula. A reflection nebula emits no light of its own, instead it is lit by the light of stars within the nebula.
Markarian’s Chain
Markarian’s Chain is a string of galaxies in the constellation Virgo. The two galaxies in the center of the image (NGC 4438 and NGC 4435, or together Arp 120) are known as the “Eyes Galaxies” and are about 52 million light years from Earth.
NGC 2359 – Thor’s Helmet
This is Thor’s Helmet, an emission nebula in Canis Major. The nebula is about 12,000 light years from Earth.
NGC 6960 – Witch’s Broom Nebula
NGC 6960, the Witch’s Broom Nebula, the incredibly faint western segment of the Veil Nebula in the constellation Cygnus about 1,400 light years from Earth.
M 31 – Andromeda Galaxy
The Andromeda Galaxy, at 2.5 million light years from Earth, is our nearest galactic neighbor. Consisting of 1 trillion stars, Andromeda is scheduled to merge with the Milky Way in about 4.5 billion years.
M 51 – Whirlpool Galaxy
The Whirlpool Galaxy, approximately 25 million light years from Earth, was the first galaxy classified as a spiral galaxy. Seen here interacting with its smaller neighbor, NGC 5195.
Mellote 15
Mellote 15 is an open cluster in the Heart Nebula, approximately 7,500 light years from Earth. This image was a test image taken by our Planewave 17″ telescope in West Virginia.