Nebula

NGC 7538 in Narrowband: 10 Hours of First Light on the Northern Lagoon

Over three clear nights in Mars Hill, NC, I set my sights on NGC 7538 for the very first time. After overcoming a meridian flip hiccup on night one, I captured 10 hours of narrowband integration—revealing the dramatic, glowing structures of this active stellar nursery.

NGC 7538 in Narrowband: 10 Hours of First Light on the Northern Lagoon

M45, The Pleiades at the Winter Solstice

Captured during the Winter Solstice event at Big Cypress National Park, this image of M45—the Pleiades, was created from 75 two-minute exposures using a fast f/3.6 imaging setup. More than 2,450 attendees shared the night as live-stacked images revealed this iconic star cluster in real time, blending public outreach with a deep-space target that first sparked my astrophotography journey nearly 20 years ago.

M45, The Pleiades at the Winter Solstice

The Lion Nebula

The Lion Nebula, also known as Sharpless 132 (Sh2-132), is a bright emission nebula located in the constellation Cepheus. It's a region of active star formation, characterized by the presence of young, hot stars that emit intense ultraviolet radiation. This radiation ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas, causing it to glow in the characteristic red color of hydrogen-alpha emission.

The Lion Nebula