Stunning photographs of the universe
Eagle Nebula
This is a hydrogen gas cloud ionized by an open star cluster causing it to emit light. It is about 7,000 light years away in the constellation Serpens, (the snake). The center contains the “Pillars of Creation” seen in the famous Hubble Space Telescope photograph. This is an active star-forming region. This photograph consists of 225 individual images for a total exposure time of 10 hours over several nights (and seasons).
A tour through my universe.
It all started with a dream long ago in a dark Kansas backyard. I built my first telescope at 15 for the National Westinghouse Science Talent Search and won second place. There was no stopping me until the Viet Nam war intervened. I enlisted in the Army, was deployed to the eastern border of West Germany, returned to the states, met my wife to be and returned to Germany for 10 years. After another three years in Nigeria I returned to Virginia and have resided here since 1982.
I began seeing photographs from astronomers around the world in light polluted cities that were spectacular and began investigating. Two years later I took the plunge and constructed my current scope and started experimenting with exposure, time limits and about a hundred other variables. What you see in this portfolio are my favorite examples. I hope you find some enjoyment and, above all awe, in the wonders of that world we cannot see with our eyes.
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Horse Head and Flame Nebula
Dark clouds of gas and dust in front of glowing hydrogen gas form these two nebulae. The bright star in the photo is Alnitak, the left star in the constellation Orion’s Belt. This photo consists of 128 individual exposures taken over several nights for a total exposure time of 3 hours.
M51 Whirlpool Galaxy
This face-on example of a spiral galaxy in the Constellation of Canes Venatici (Hunting Dogs) is having a close encounter with NGC5195, a smaller spiral galaxy. Gravitational forces are actually pulling NGC5195 apart.
M51 is 31 million light years away. This photo consists of 300 individual exposures taken over many nights with a total exposure time is 11 hours.
M42 Orion Nebula/NGC1977 Running Man Nebula 2023
The Orion Nebula is 1,500 light years away and one the closest star-forming regions. It is visible to the naked eye just below Orion’s belt. The pressure and radiation from the stars at the center are forming the gas cloud into the shape we see.
The Running Man Nebula in the lower left of the photograph has a number of young stars whose light reflects off gas in the area.
This photograph consists of 810 individual exposures totaling 7 hours and 55 minutes over several nights.
Elephant’s Trunk Nebula
An interstellar gas and dust cloud located in the constellation Cepheus. It is 2,400 light years from Earth. The cloud is shaped by the light and ionization pressure, known as the solar wind, exerted by stars within the cloud. This photo consists of 148 exposures with a total exposure time of 7 hours and 24 minutes.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy
This galaxy is 2.7 million light years away in the constellation Triangulum. It has a diameter of 60,000 light years, and has an estimated 40 billion stars. It is the third largest member of our “local group” after the Andromeda and our own Milky Way galaxies. This photograph consists of 219 exposures for a total exposure time of 7 hours and 48 minutes over many nights.
Pleiades 2023 “Seven Sisters”
A naked eye object identified hundreds of years ago is an open star cluster in the constellation of Taurus. The stars are passing through interstellar dust producing the reflection nebula. They are 444 light years from earth. This photograph consists of 171 exposures for a total exposure time of 2 hours and 51 minutes.
Rosette Nebula 2023
The Rosette Nebula is a large star-forming gas and dust cloud 5,200 light years from Earth in the constellation Monoceros (the Unicorn). Stellar winds from the stars formed by the cloud are pushing the gas and dust into the form we see, and radiation produced by the stars causes it to emit light.
This photograph was made of 60 individual exposure for a total exposure time of 5 hours.
Heart Nebula
The Heart Nebula is 7,500 light years away from earth in the constellation of Cassiopeia. It is composed of ionized gas driven by stellar winds from the stars at its core. It is four times the diameter of the full moon in the sky and too big for this telescope to capture all of it. This photgraph consists of 600 individual exposures for a total exposure time of 22 hours and 51 minutes over several nights.
NGC 7293 Helix Nebula
Only 655 light years from Earth in the constellation of Aquarius, the gas expelled from the central star is fluorescing due to the star’s radiation. This photo is comprised of 228 3 minute exposures for a total of 3 hours and 48 minutes.
Eastern Veil Nebula
Because this is a circular structure which is too large to image in one field of view, this is only a portion of the entire Nebula. Located in the constellation of Cygnus it is a heated and ionized cloud of gas and dust that is the remnant of a supernova that exploded some 5 to 10 thousand years ago. It is 1,470 light years from earth. This photo consists of 111 single exposures for a total exposure time of 3 hours and 42 minutes
M81 Bode’s Galaxy
This galaxy is about 1 million light years away from Earth. This photo consists of 81 timed exposures of 1 to 5 minutes each for a total of 116 minutes.
Cone Nebula 2024 NB
This reflection nebula is 2,600 light years from Earth in the Constellation Monoceros. There are several star-forming regions in this nebula. This Photograph consists of 179 timed exposures for a total exposure time of 6 hour and 53 minutes, taken over several nights.
Flaming Star Nebula - 2019
This emission and reflection nebula in the constellation of Auriga is about 1,500 light years from Earth. This photograph consists of 111 exposures for a total exposure time of 4 hours and 12 minutes
My passion realized for your viewing
The advances in astrophotography have allowed me to translate my vision of the universe and print it on stunning glass for your home.