Suburban Backyard Astro Sights

The Seagull Nebula is a sprawling region of open star clusters, glowing hydrogen gas, dark dust clouds, and scattered reflection nebulae. Its nickname comes from its distinct shape – suggesting a seagull in flight.   Click to read more. . .

The Medusa Nebula is an intricate ghostly structure with tendrils of gas stretching like the serpentine hair of its namesake from Greek mythology. The Gorgon Medusa was a monstrous creature with living snakes in place of hair, and was known for her ability to turn anyone who looked at her into stone.   Click to read more. . .

It’s been three years since I last overhauled this website. So here we go – a fresh makeover.   Click to read more. . .

We had fine weather here in North Carolina for the Pi Day March eclipse of the moon. Here’s how it looked through my telescope.   Click to read more. . .

The Tadpole Nebula (IC 410) gets its name from two striking tadpole-shaped clouds of dark dust that appear to be swimming towards the center. These “tadpoles” are dense streams of gas and dust, each stretching about 10 lightyears. Within them, new stars may be forming, hidden inside their thick cocoons.   Click to read more. . .

NGC 2467, also known as the “Skull and Crossbones Nebula,” is a region where new stars are being born. Some people think it looks like a grinning skull, while others see the face of a colorful mandrill.   Click to read more. . .