View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeremy Likness in Monroe, Washington, captured this view of the North America nebula in Cygnus on August 1, 2022. He wrote: “NGC7000, the North America nebula, is bright, massive and high in the sky this time of year. I framed it to show its namesake.” Thank you, Jeremy! See more of August’s deep sky below.
Photos of August’s deep sky
Enjoy these August deep-sky photos – bright and dark nebulae within our own Milky Way galaxy, and great galaxies beyond our own – captured by members of the EarthSky community. Do you have a great photo to share? Submit it here.
Dark nebulae
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Eyad Khailany in Erbil, KRI, Iraq, captured this telescopic view of dark nebula Barnard 150 on August 17, 2022. Eyad wrote: “Barnard 150, also known as Seahorse Nebula, is a dark molecular cloud of dust in the constellation Cepheus. It’s so thick that it absorbs all the light that comes from the stars behind it. This molecular cloud is part of our Milky Way galaxy, one of the 182 objects cataloged by astronomer Edward E. Barnard. It lies at about 1,200 light-years away.” Thank you, Eyad!
The Veil Nebula in the deep sky
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Ernest Jacobs in Eden, New York, captured this image on August 12, 2022. He wrote: “NGC 6992, aka the Eastern Veil Nebula, is one part of the Veil Nebula (Cygnus Loop) located in the constellation Cygnus. About 8,000 years ago, a star about 20 times more massive than our sun went supernova. The most recent estimate for distance to the object is about 2,400 light-years. Before exploding, the massive star’s stellar wind blew a cavity or bubble in the surrounding area. What we see when looking at this object are the results of the shockwave from the supernova slamming into this cavity.” Thank you, Ernest!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Faiz Ahmad in Maryland captured this view of NGC 6992, the Eastern Veil Nebula in Cygnus, on August 3, 2022. He wrote: “Do you see the bat? It haunts this cosmic closeup of the eastern Veil Nebula. The Veil Nebula itself is a large supernova remnant, the expanding debris cloud from the death explosion of a massive star. The Veil is roughly circular in shape and covers nearly 3 degrees on the sky toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus). But the Bat Nebula, NGC 6995, spans only 1/2 degree, about the apparent size of the moon.” Thank you, Faiz!
Galaxies in the deep sky
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeremy Likness in Monroe, Washington, captured this view of the Andromeda Galaxy on August 15, 2022. He wrote: “My favorite time of year is when the Andromeda Galaxy begins to rise ahead of the Pleiades. 336mm is the perfect focal length to appreciate our galactic neighbor.” Thank you, Jeremy!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jelieta Walinski in Medicine Rock State Park, Montana, captured this view of the Andromeda Galaxy on August 13, 2022. She wrote: “This amazing galaxy is M31, my first love … Before, when I was not able to use telescope yet, I used my regular camera to capture this spectacular galaxy until my husband gifted me a telescope. So, even though you don’t have the exact gear, you can still photograph this huge galaxy. Go out there and chase this beauty, because it won’t chase you back.” Thank you, Jelieta!
Deep galactic exposures
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Eyad Khailany in Erbil, KRI, Iraq, captured this telescopic view of the Andromeda Galaxy on August 10, 2022. Eyad wrote: “I’ve always wondered if M31’s surrounding regions were just a black blanket filled with stars! This encouraged me to investigate the matter. I came across a research paper that mentioned the existence of Hydrogen-alpha (Ha) regions in the vicinity of Andromeda. Of course, these Ha regions are located within our Milky Way and just happened to be within the field of view. Hence, I embarked to collect data in Ha. To my shock, the background became lively with beautiful red glow.” Thank you, Eyad!
Galactic cores in the deep sky
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Soumyadeep Mukherjee of India, using a large remote telescope in Spain, captured the core of the Andromeda Galaxy on August 13, 2022. He wrote: “The image shows the core area of our nearest major galaxy, Andromeda. At the center of the galaxy lies a supermassive black hole. This central black hole has always been a bit odd when compared to central black holes in similar galaxies. Based on its X-ray luminosity, it is much fainter in radio waves than expected.” Thank you, Soumyadeep!
Bottom line: Members of the EarthSky community shared these amazing photos of August’s deep sky.
Armando is well known as an astronomy educator, after 30+ years leading extensive initiatives of public outreach and 10+ years teaching in colleges. As one of only a handful of Puerto Rican science communicators during Comet Halley's last visit, he assumed a pioneering role starting in 1985 when science was just beginning to enter the local mindset; over time his work brought meaningful change to the culture, inspiring people to pursue interests in science and technology. His affiliations include Ana G. Méndez University–Cupey, where in 2014 he spearheaded an 8-course extension program focusing on observational astronomy, the first ever in the island.
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