View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Karl Diefenderfer in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, captured this wonderful telescopic view of Messier 92 on May 11. This object is a globular star cluster, a tightly packed, symmetrical collection of stars – orbiting in the extended stellar halo surrounding our Milky Way – containing some of our galaxy’s oldest stars. Karl wrote: “After nearly 3 weeks of clouds and rain, I was able to image Messier 92 in the constellation Hercules.” Thank you, Karl. Clear skies to you! See more of May’s best deep-sky photos below.
Best deep-sky photos from our readers
The EarthSky community has many talented astrophotographers who capture stunning images of the deep sky. With that in mind, enjoy this gallery of some of the best deep-sky photos we have received. Have a great image of your own to share? Send it to us. We love to see them!
The Lagoon and Trifid nebulae
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Maged Yehia in Egypt obtained this telescopic view of Lagoon and Trifid nebulae in Sagittarius on May 19, 2023. Maged wrote: “Imaging from Bortle 8 was always a limiting factor. Being in a white zone with a lot of street lights and other sources of artificial light, which wash out the faint details of the nebulae. To overcome this, I had been trying some filters last year […] But for sure, this does not eliminate the necessity of taking longer exposures and more frames, to get enough signal-to-noise ratio.” Thank you, Maged!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohammed Abdallah in Suez City, Egypt, used a telephoto lens to capture this view of the Lagoon and Trifid nebulae in Sagittarius on May 13, 2023. Mohammed wrote: “The Lagoon and Trifid nebulae, stating that summer is coming. Back in 2019, when I started my astrophotography journey, I was intrigued by this target. I shot it in a 1-second snap and I wasn’t quite sure if it was the Lagoon Nebula or not. Now, in 2023, I’m happy about the results I have reached. Photo is taken from a Bortle 8 sky, Suez City, Egypt.” Great results, considering the extent of light pollution in the area. Thank you, Mohammed!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeremy Likness in Monroe, Washington, used a telephoto lens to capture this view of the Lagoon and Trifid nebulae in Sagittarius on May 11, 2023. Jeremy wrote: “While imaging the Trifid Nebula (M20), I mounted my Sony Mirrorless 6300 on the top of the Celestron EdgeHD 9.25-inch telescope. From 30-second exposures, I pieced together the surroundings, including the nearby oases of the Lagoon Nebula (M8).” Thank you, Jeremy!
The Sadr Star Region
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Andy Dungan near Cotopaxi, Colorado, used a telephoto lens to capture this image of the Sadr Star Region in Cygnus on May 25, 2023. Andy wrote: “Cygnus is full of fun stuff to shoot. I had no idea how large the area surrounding the central star of Cygnus (Sadr or Gamma Cygni) was. The large area around Sadr is identified as the Sadr Region or the Butterfly Nebula, IC 1318. This was shot at 300mm. At some point I am going to have to zoom in the Crescent Nebula, NGC 6888 (far right center), for a closer shot of that. I would also like to figure out how to bring the reds out more. What fun.” Thank you, Andy!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Kurtis Markham in Alexandria, Virginia, captured this telescopic view of the Sadr Star Region in Cygnus on May 8, 2023. Kurtis wrote: “This region contains nearby popular deep-sky objects like the Butterfly Nebula and the Crescent Nebula.” Thank you, Kurtis!
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohammed Abdallah in Suez City, Egypt, used a telephoto lens to capture this view of the galaxy duo Messier 81 and Messier 82 in the constellation Ursa Major, on May 25, 2023. Mohammed wrote: “Bode M81 and Cigar M82 galaxies from Bortle 8 skies, Suez City, Egypt. About 6 hours of data with a very low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) due to difficult weather and sky conditions, but the end result is satisfactory.” Thank you, Mohammed!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohammed Abdallah in Suez City, Egypt, used a large telephoto lens to capture this deep-sky view of Markarian’s Chain of galaxies in the constellation Virgo, on May 22, 2023. Mohammed wrote: “Markarian’s Chain. Shot taken over several nights in the last couple of weeks from Suez City, Egypt, during very bad weather and tough shooting conditions. I’m happy I could shoot it the 1st time and get such a good look at the galactic dance.” Thank you, Mohammed!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeremy Likness in Monroe, Washington, captured this telescopic view of Messier 63 on May 17, 2023. Jeremy wrote: “Hundreds of billions of stars are believed to call Messier Catalog item number 63 home. Its distinct shape and texture have earned it the name, Sunflower Galaxy.” Thank you, Jeremy!
Supernovae in distant galaxies
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Our friend Eliot Herman used the Utah Remote Desert Observatories to capture this image of the new supernova in Messier 101 – the Pinwheel Galaxy – just hours after its discovery on May 19, 2023. See the bright spot by the yellow arrowhead? This is the closest supernova to us in more than a decade. Eliot commented: “There will be many weeks to watch this one evolve.” Thank you, Eliot! Read more about Supernova 2023ixf, and watch a video photo gallery.View at EarthSky Community Photos. | The headline-making supernova in M101 wasn’t the only supernova Eliot Herman imaged in May. Using a remote telescope in Río Hurtado, Chile, from Tucson, Arizona, Eliot made this image on May 15, 2023. He wrote: “Supernova 2023idj in galaxy NGC 4568. This is a type II supernova discovered on May 14, 2023, by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae. Magnitude 15.4 on this date. The pair of interacting galaxies makes for a nice composition.” Thank you, Eliot!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | And Eliot Herman captured a 3rd supernova in May. For this one, he also used a remote telescope in Río Hurtado, Chile, from Tucson, Arizona. Eliot wrote: “Supernova 2023gfo in galaxy NGC 4995 makes for a nice composition. The supernova was discovered on April 20, 2023, and is a type II. I captured the supernova over April 23 to May 7, 2023.” Thank you, Eliot!
Bottom line: Enjoy this gallery of the best deep-sky photos of May 2023 from our EarthSky community. If you have a great photo to share, send it in. We love to see them!
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.
Cristina Ortiz - based in Granada, Spain - has been an EarthSky editor since 2021. "Since I was a kid," she says, "I could feel that passion for science and communication." Cristina has a master’s degree in translation and interpreting, specializing in science and technology. She has served as a translator, interpreter and proofreader in both science and technology for various media organizations, including Netflix, and for museums and other companies.
Like what you read? Subscribe and receive daily news delivered to your inbox.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
