A small, hazy spot can be seen in the southern night sky, the Small Magellanic Cloud. The name is misleading, however, because it is a dwarf galaxy. At least that was thought until the end of 2023. New observations now
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Nebulae in the Small Magellanic Cloud
Tarantula Nebula – NGC2070
Like gracile spider legs the structures of the Tarantula Nebula spread themselves in the left part of my image. It is visible to the naked eye as a bright, nebulous spot in the southern starry sky, although it is not
Read moreMagical Colors in Scorpius and Ophiuchus
The constellations of Scorpius and Ophiuchus offer unique color magic in the night sky. The colors come from a mixture of gas and dust. Dust, which is illuminated by starlight and produces blue reflection nebulae. Gaseous clouds that produce reddish
Read moreSaturn Occultation by the Moon on October 14th, 2024
The occultation of the giant planet Saturn by the moon on October 14, 2024 shortly after sunset was a rare event. It was not visible in Europe, but was visible in Rooisand, Namibia. In our Carpe Noctem Remote observatory, our
Read moreCoalsack Loop and Southern Cross
For me, they are the most impressive pair in the southern night sky, the Southern Cross and the black Coalsack nebula, which is the darkest object in the Milky Way to the naked eye. But this is only an optical
Read moreDragon’s Egg Nebula – NGC 6164 and NGC 6165
And the star in the middle created both oval nebulae. It is known as the dragon’s egg. Its name is derived from its proximity to the nebula NGC6188, the “fighting dragons of the ara”. Once, it were actually three stars,
Read moreGreat Sagittarius Cluster – M22
The Great Sagittarius Cluster Messier 22 is a globular cluster in a densely packed group of stars near the center of the Milky Way. With around 80,000 stars, it is the brightest globular cluster visible from Europe. However, it is
Read moreThe Ghost of Barnard – SH2-36
This very faint object, similar to a ghost, lies in the constellation of Sagittarius. Striking are the streaks of weakly reflecting clouds, the galactic cirrus. Originally described as an HII region, it is a nebula that is illuminated by our
Read moreThe Dark Tower – GN 16.43.7
About 5000 light years away from Earth lies this dusty cosmic cloud in the constellation of Scorpius. This bizarre, dark structure of gas and dust is called the Dark Tower. It is known as a cometary globule because of its
Read moreOmega Centauri – NGC5139
For most observers, Omega Centauri is the most beautiful globular cluster of all. Around 10 million stars that, by cosmic standards, are crowded together in a diameter of only around 150 light years. But it is not only its size
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