View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeremy Likness in Newport, Oregon, made this colorful image of the Crab Nebula with videos recorded on October 28, 2023. Jeremy wrote: “When Charles Messier was looking for Halley’s Comet, he kept coming across a fuzzy patch he realized didn’t move like a comet. So, he started a journal of these annoying distractions and designated the fuzzy patch M1.” We now know M1 as the Crab Nebula, the remains of a star that went supernova. Thank you, Jeremy! See more of October’s best deep-sky photos below.
Best deep-sky photos from our community
The EarthSky community has many talented astrophotographers who capture stunning images of the deep sky. So enjoy this gallery of some of the best deep-sky photos we have received in October. Do you have some of your own best deep-sky images to share? You can submit them to us here. We love to see them!
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mario Rana in Hampton, Virginia, captured this view of the Cave Nebula on October 21, 2023. Mario wrote: “The Cave Nebula (Sh2-155) is in the constellation Cepheus. It’s part of a much larger cloud of gas and dust called Cepheus B.” Thank you, Mario!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Harshwardhan Pathak from India used a remote telescope in Spain to capture the Rosette Nebula on October 10, 2023. Harshwardhan wrote: “The Rosette Nebula lies near one end of a giant dark nebula in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way galaxy. It’s sometimes referred to as the ‘Skull Nebula.’ But it should not be confused with NGC 246, which is also nicknamed the Skull Nebula. You can also see the open star cluster NGC 2244 at heart of the nebula.” Thank you, Harshwardhan!
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Harshwardhan Pathak of India used a large remote telescope in Australia to capture the Orion Nebula on October 5, 2023. Harshwardhan wrote: “Popularly called the Orion Nebula, this stellar nursery has been known to many different cultures throughout human history. The nebula is only 1,500 light-years away, making it the closest large star-forming region to Earth … This is the target which every astrophotographer wants to shoot in winter’s night sky.” A beautiful capture. Thank you, Harshwardhan!
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohammed Abdallah in Suez, Egypt, used a telephoto lens to capture this view of the Ghost of Cassiopeia on October 13, 2023. Mohammed wrote: “One of my proudest achievements: The Ghost of Cassiopeia. Since it’s spooky season, IC 63 is a reflection nebula located in Cassiopeia. This is a total of 17 hours of integration time.” A result to be proud of, indeed. Thank you, Mohammed!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeremy Likness in Newport, Oregon, captured this telescopic view of the Ghost of Cassiopeia on October 5, 2023. Jeremy wrote: “Climbing the stairway to heaven, IC 63 is a nebula commonly called ‘the Ghost of Cassiopeia.’ It seems to be yearning to join the brilliant star Navi.” Thank you, Jeremy!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Catherine Hyde in Cambria, California, captured this view on October 5, 2023. Catherine wrote: “This is the Ghost of Cassiopeia. The bright star is Navi (Gamma Cassiopeiae).” Thank you, Catherine!
The Horsehead Nebula
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Martin Curran in Cheyenne, Wyoming, captured the Horsehead Nebula in the constellation Orion on October 21, 2023. Martin wrote: “First time hitting this target as a primary … The iconic Horsehead is a cloud of dust blocking light from a much larger HII region. Will definitely be revisiting this target.” Thank you, Martin!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeremy Likness in Newport, Oregon, captured this view in the constellation Orion on October 5, 2023. Jeremy wrote: “Hydrogen-alpha reveals the intricate details of nebulosity around Alnitak, the first star in Orion’s Belt. This image includes the aptly named Flame and Horsehead nebulae.” Thank you, Jeremy!
A galaxy and a star cluster
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Martin Curran in Cheyenne, Wyoming, captured this galaxy and star cluster on October 8, 2023. Martin wrote: “NGC 6946 (the Fireworks Galaxy) and open cluster NGC 6939 in Cepheus. NGC 6946 is a beautiful face-on spiral galaxy. It’s 20,000 light-years across and is 22.5 million light-years from Earth. It’s pretty dim for its size as it is highly obscured by interstellar matter due to its proximity to the Milky Way.” Thank you, Martin!
Bottom line: Enjoy this gallery of the best deep-sky photos of October 2023 from our EarthSky community. And 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.
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