Antlia Pro 3nm SHO 36mm Filters on Sergey's Astrophotography

M81, M82 and surroundings

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 18:56:00 +0000

This wide-field capture highlights the dynamic grouping of Bode’s Galaxy (M81) and the Cigar Galaxy (M82), framed by the delicate, wispy structures of the Integrated Flux Nebula (IFN).

Dominating the center of the frame is M81, a grand-design spiral galaxy presenting a brilliantly warm core and sweeping spiral arms punctuated by pink star-forming regions. Positioned above it is the edge-on M82. The intense gravitational tidal forces from its larger neighbor have ignited massive starburst activity within M82, visible here as striking red plumes of ionized hydrogen gas erupting outward from its galactic plane perpendicular to the disk.

IC 1805: The Heart Nebula in SHO

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 18:07:00 +0000

This spectacular image presents IC 1805, famously known as the Heart Nebula, captured using narrowband filters and processed in the classic Hubble Space Telescope (SHO) color palette. Located about 7,500 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia, this massive emission nebula is sculpted by the intense stellar winds and ultraviolet radiation from the young, central open star cluster known as Melotte 15.

The deep narrowband data—where Sulfur-II is mapped to red, Hydrogen-alpha to green, and Oxygen-III to blue—reveals the complex dynamics of the glowing gas and the silhouette of dark dust lanes in striking detail. To preserve a natural look for the starry background, broadband RGB data was also collected and blended specifically to render the stars in their true colors.

M31: Andromeda Galaxy

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 15:24:00 +0000

This deep exposure of M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, reveals the intricate details of our closest large galactic neighbor. The inclusion of nearly 6 hours of Hydrogen-alpha data highlights the vivid red star-forming regions scattered throughout the galaxy’s sprawling spiral arms. The image also prominently features Andromeda’s two satellite galaxies: the compact elliptical galaxy M32, situated close to the bright galactic core, and the larger dwarf elliptical galaxy M110, located further below. The dark, sweeping dust lanes are highly defined, contrasting beautifully against the stellar glow of the galactic disk.