Tulip Nebula

 

The Tulip Nebula, also cataloged as Sharpless 101 (Sh2-101), is a glowing [emission nebula] located approximately 6,000 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus, the Swan.

Key Characteristics

• The Floral Shape: It gets its common name because long-exposure photographic images reveal a reddish cloud of gas and dust that resembles the outline of a tulip flower.

• Size and Energy: The sprawling H II region spans • roughly 70 light-years across. It glows because energetic ultraviolet radiation from a hot, young O-type star near its center—designated HD 227018—ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas.

• The Black Hole Neighbor: From our perspective on Earth, the Tulip Nebula appears right next to Cygnus X-1, one of the most famous stellar-mass black hole systems and X-ray sources in the galaxy. Energetic jets from the black hole interact with the local interstellar medium, creating a distinct curved bow shock near the system's companion blue supergiant star.

• Discovery: The object was cataloged by American astronomer Stewart Sharpless in his famous 1959 survey of Milky Way H II regions.

Imaging Telescope: Vixen ED81s f/5.2

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod) 

Camera: QHY 533M 

Filter Wheel: QHY CFW3S-SR 

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Constellation: Cygnus

Date: 6-7 Aug 2026 

Location: Albireo Observatory 2, Ileia, Greece

Sky brightness: B2

Exposure Time: 

L: 80x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

R: 40x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

G: 40x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

B: 40x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Ha: 12x600 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1  

Acquisition: N.I.N.A 

Processing: Siril, Pixinsight, Photoshop

NGC 6960

 

NGC 6960, famously known as the Witch's Broom Nebula or the Western Veil Nebula, is a stunning filamentary [supernova remnant] located roughly 2,400 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus, the Swan.

Key Characteristics

• The Cosmic Origin: It is the western visible arc of the massive Cygnus Loop, created when a star roughly 20 times more massive than our Sun exploded in a cataclysmic supernova between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago. At the time of the explosion, the blast would have shone brighter than Venus and remained visible in the daytime sky.

• The Broomstick Star: The bright star overlaid right across the middle of the glowing gas filament is 52 Cygni. This star is a line-of-sight coincidence—it sits much closer to Earth (roughly 200–300 light-years away) and has no physical connection to the ancient supernova explosion.

• Filamentary Structure: The delicate, stringy appearance is caused by shockwaves plowing through the interstellar medium at roughly 1.5 million kilometers per hour, exciting atoms of hydrogen (glowing red) and oxygen (glowing blue-teal) where we view the thin expanding shock sheets edge-on.

• Discovery: It was discovered in [September 1784 by astronomer William Herschel], who cataloged its sweeping form before it entered modern catalogs.

Imaging Telescope: Vixen ED81s f/5.2

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod) 

Camera: QHY 533M 

Filter Wheel: QHY CFW3S-SR 

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Constellation: Cygnus

Date: 8-9 Aug 2026 

Location: Albireo Observatory 2, Ileia, Greece

Sky brightness: B2

Exposure Time: 

L: 80x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

R: 40x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

G: 40x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

B: 40x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Ha: 12x600 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1  

Acquisition: N.I.N.A 

Processing: Siril, Pixinsight, Photoshop

Caldwell 12

 

Caldwell 12, universally known as the Fireworks Galaxy (and cataloged as NGC 6946), is a spectacular face-on intermediate spiral galaxy located on the border between the northern constellations of Cepheus and Cygnus.

Why It's Nicknamed the "Fireworks Galaxy"

The galaxy earned its explosive nickname due to its extraordinarily high rate of supernovae. While a typical galaxy like our Milky Way hosts roughly one or two stellar explosions per century, astronomers have observed 10 confirmed supernovae within Caldwell 12 since 1917. This violent activity is fueled by an aggressive, intense rate of star formation happening within its thick spiral arms.

Key Characteristics

• Distance: It sits approximately 15 to 25 million light-years away from Earth. It is one of the closest prominent galaxies outside of our gravitationally bound Local Group.

• Size & Shape: Spanning roughly 50,000 to 85,000 light-years across, it is approximately half the physical size of the Milky Way. Because we view it perfectly "face-on" from Earth, its winding, asymmetrical spiral structure is fully exposed to telescopes.

• The Stellar Core: At the center of Caldwell 12 is a tight, intensely glowing central ring. Scientists studying data from the NASA Hubble Space Telescope believe this core ring has been acting as a relentless "stellar factory," manufacturing new stars continuously for nearly 20 million years.

• Discovery: The galaxy was originally discovered by the legendary British astronomer William Herschel in September 1798.

Imaging Telescope: Vixen ED81s f/5.2

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod) 

Camera: QHY 533M 

Filter Wheel: QHY CFW3S-SR 

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Constellation: Cepheus

Date: 10 Aug 2026 

Location: Albireo Observatory 2, Ileia, Greece

Sky brightness: B2

Exposure Time: 

L: 120x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

Acquisition: N.I.N.A 

Processing: Siril, Pixinsight, Photoshop

Messier 39

Messier 39 (M39), also cataloged as NGC 7092, is a large, loosely bound open star cluster located in the northern constellation of Cygnus, the Swan. It is sometimes nicknamed the Pyramid Cluster because its brightest stars align to form a distinctive triangular shape against the sky.

Key Characteristics

> Distance and Location: It is located roughly 800 to 1,050 light-years from Earth, making it one of the closest Messier objects to our solar system. It can be found roughly 9° east-northeast of the bright star Deneb.

> Size: The core cluster spans about 7 to 37 light-years in true physical diameter. In the night sky, it has an angular size comparable to or larger than the full Moon. Recent data from the Gaia satellite has revealed a massive, hidden surrounding "corona" of stars spanning 20 degrees across the sky, composed of stars that are slowly escaping the cluster's gravity. 

> Composition and Stellar Content: It is a relatively sparse, young cluster containing roughly 30 to 50 confirmed stars. Its stars are estimated to be between 200 and 300 million years old—far younger than our Sun. Its brightest members are hot, blue main-sequence stars, though some are beginning to transition toward their red giant phase.

> Discovery: The cluster was first discovered by French astronomer Guillaume Le Gentil in 1749 and was later cataloged by Charles Messier in 1764.

Imaging Telescope: Vixen ED81s f/5.2

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod) 

Camera: QHY 533M 

Filter Wheel: QHY CFW3S-SR 

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Constellation: Cygnus

Date: 5 Aug 2026 

Location: Albireo Observatory 2, Ileia, Greece

Sky brightness: B2

Exposure Time: 

L: 80x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

R: 40x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

G: 40x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

B: 40x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

Acquisition: N.I.N.A 

Processing: Siril, Pixinsight, Photoshop

The 7 Sept. 2025 Total Lunar Eclipse

 

Camera: Canon EOS 450D

Lens: Canon EF 85mm f/4.0

Tripod: Digipod A 2541P, Manfrotto 496 RC2 Ball Head

Date: September 7, 2025

Location: Politeia Kifisia

Veil Nebula mosaic

 

Imaging Lens: Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)

Camera: QHY 533M

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Filters: Ha

Constellation: Cygnus

Date: August 19, 2025

Location: Albireo Observatory 3, Achaia, Greece 

Exposure Time: 4 panel mosaic, 4x16x300 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Bias, Dark Flats

Acquisition: N.I.N.A 

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop

Sadr area mosaic

 

Imaging Lens: Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)

Camera: QHY 533M

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Filters: Ha

Constellation: Cygnus

Date: August 19, 2025

Location: Albireo Observatory 3, Achaia, Greece 

Exposure Time: 4 panel mosaic, 4x16x300 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Bias, Dark Flats

Acquisition: N.I.N.A 

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop