M 76 – Little Dumbbell Nebula

M 76 – Little Dumbbell Nebula Description: The Little Dumbbell Nebula (M76) in the constellation Perseus. It is categorized as a bipolar nebula, and the bright central bar is actually a ring of gas seen edge-on. This ring was ejected when the central star was a...

M 97 – The Owl Nebula

M 97 – The Owl Nebula Description: The Owl Nebula is a planetary nebula that results from the end of life of a giant red star. When the star has burned all of its hydrogen and then its helium, its core collapses and a shell of gas is ejected. The star becomes a...

Horsehead Nebula

The Horsehead Nebula Description: The Horsehead Nebula is a favorite among amateur astrophotographers. It is easy to find in the constellation Orion in winter. The big shining star (Alnitak) that we see in the photo is the star on the left among the 3 stars of...

NGC 1499 – California Nebula

NGC 1499 – California Nebula Description: A star and its cradle. The blue star named Menkib in the constellation Perseus was likely born from this clump of gas and dust, NGC 1499, known as the California Nebula because of its resemblance to the outline of this...

NGC 2237 – The Rosette Nebula

NGC 2237 – The Rosette Nebula Description: This cloud of ionized hydrogen is a veritable stellar nursery. In fact, this gas is irradiated by the ultraviolet light of a star cluster that formed in this region a mere 8 million years ago. This is what gives it its...