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
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The Ghost of Barnard – SH2-36
The 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
Read moreStatue of Liberty Nebula – NGC3576
Trapped in a bubble of glowing red hydrogen, the Statue of Liberty nebula stretches out towards the ugly face of a goblin, who seems to adore it in amazement. New stars are forming in the complex nebulae with their dark
Read moreNorth America Nebula over Grand Canyon
A visit to the Grand Canyon in Arizona is always a special experience. Even at night, when the night sky rises over the canyon or the North America Nebula slowly rises in the sky with other nebulae in Cygnus.
Read moreBatman, The Cosmic Bat – LDN43
When it gets dark under the southern sky, it appears among the stars in the night sky, the cosmic bat with its pointed ears and glowing teeth. Seen soberly, it is only a veil of dust illuminated by young stars.
Read moreGEM Cluster – NGC3293
In the center of my image, embedded in clouds of glowing hydrogen and dark dust bands, lies one of the brightest and most beautiful star clusters in the southern sky, the Gem or Gemstone Cluster in the constellation Carina. Similar
Read moreVela Supernova Remnant
Around 11,000 years ago. A massive star explodes as a supernova, ejects its shell and ends up as a neutron star in the constellation Vela. The explosion was so bright that our ancestors could see it in the daytime sky.
Read moreThe Solar Eclipse 2024 in Hot Springs
After 2017, we are once again traveling to a solar eclipse in the USA. We had booked a hotel in San Antonio many months ago with the highest probability of clear skies. But on Saturday, two days before the eclipse,
Read moreEaster Comet 2024 – 12P/Pons-Brooks
It’s that time of year again this Easter. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, a chunk of ice and dust around 34 kilometers in size, is on its way to the closest point of its orbit to the sun, which it will reach on
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