Robert Wood
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Exploring the Visual Beauty and Science of the Rosette Nebula
The Rosette Nebula is a very interesting area and one that shows off a lot of the processes involved in stellar evolution, particularly in how new stars are formed from the surrounding gas and dust. This magnificent region, located in the constellation Monoceros, not only captivates astronomers with its stunning visual beauty, but it also…
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Jan’25 Occultation of Mars
In the astronomy and astrophotography hobby we are mostly observing or imaging very static objects. In a lot of ways this is beneficial as if the weather gods or our busy schedules do not allow you to observe/image one night, well there is always the next night and the night after that or even next…
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The Cone and the Christmas Tree
Nights with a bright moon can be a challenge for imaging. You either need to choose a bright object that is located away from the moon, or image in narrow band which typically means imaging an emission nebula like the example above. This is the Cone Nebula and Christmas Tree Star Cluster, NGC 2264. The…
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Today’s Sun and Its Spots
A capture and stack of 500 frames of the sun today. There are two major groupings of spots. I like how the grouping in the upper right has three distinct levels or shades of penumbra. This is less noticeable in the group in the lower right image. Also noticeable in the images is the sunspots…
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M1 – The Crab Nebula
Messier 1, also known as the Crab Nebula, was discovered by Charles Messier in 1758 during his extensive search for comets, which he meticulously cataloged to differentiate between these transient celestial objects and permanent ones. This remarkable nebula is the remnant of a supernova explosion that was observed in 1054 AD, and it has since…
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Messier 42 – The Orion Nebula
The Orion Nebula is one of the nearest, and therefor brightest, stellar nurseries in the Milkyway. At the heart of the nebula is a cluster of young, hot stars referred to as the Trapezium. They are just barely visible in the whitish area of this image. The energy from these stars is exciting the interstellar…
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Sh2-232
Sh2-232 captured on 1-6-25. This is a faint HII region in the constellation of Auriga, which lies prominently in the northern sky. The brighter nebula in the vicinity offers a stunning contrast against the dark background of space, showcasing vivid colors produced by the ionization of hydrogen gas. As an area of star formation, Sh2-232…
Astro-Shed 