Messier 20 - The Trifid Nebula | Astrophotography Tips and Images
Messier 20 is a great target for amateur astrophotographers, no matter which instrument you own. A close-up image will show a lot of...
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NEBULA Astrophotography
Nebulae are our favorite types of objects. We have imaged several from the NGC and IC catalogs, as well as the Messier Catalog, which contains a total of 12 nebulae.
We recommend spending a minimum of 4 hours on nebulae. Find the darkest skies possible, however, if shooting emission nebulae with a narrowband filter, you can take photos from your backyard.
Below are articles about how we captured a photo. Click on an image to learn more about the object, the gear we used, and the acquisition details.
How Many Types of Nebulae are there?
There are five types of nebulae: Emission, Reflection, Dark (Absorption), Planetary, and Supernova Remnants.
Almost all of the nebulae captured by amateur astrophotographers are found in the Milky Way galaxy. With great equipment and skills, you can also capture these objects.
1) Emission Nebulae
This type of nebulae appears as clouds of ionized gases that emit their own light.
About 90% are mostly made up of Hydrogen gas and so are easier to capture with a Hydrogen Alpha (Ha) filter.
Perhaps the most popular emission nebula is by far M42 (The Orion Nebula). The image above is our all-time favorite: Thor's Helmet.
2) Reflection Nebulae
Reflection Nebulae are the opposite of emission nebulae. Instead of emitting their own light, these are just clouds that reflect the light from nearby stars.
Reflection nebulae are often blue, as seen in the picture above of Messier 78, not far from the Orion Nebula.
Their gases can also be found mixed with gases from emission nebulae.
3) Dark Nebulae
Dark nebulae, also called absorption nebulae, are clouds of interstellar gas that are so thick that light cannot pass or reflect through them.
These are only visible if in front of clusters of stars or colorful nebulae. An example of a dark nebula is Barnard 33 (The Horsehead Nebula) as well as the Cone Nebula pictured above.
4) Planetary Nebulae
This is actually a type of emission nebulae. The term planetary may be confusing as they have nothing to do with planets.
First used by William Herschel to describe the nebulae he spotted which appeared bright and round like the shape of a planet.
Our sun is believed to become a planetary nebula when it dies.
5) Supernova Remnants
Supernova Remnants appear when a large star goes into supernova. This leaves a shockwave of colorful gas that expands outward at incredible speeds.
The first entry in Charles Messier's catalog is the Supernova Remnant of the Crab Nebula (as seen above). Another great example of such an object is the Cygnus Loop, which contains 3 major parts of the Veil Nebula.
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Nebulae Astrophotography Resources
Discover how we photographed the nebulae below by clicking on a post. We explain what our integration time is, the gear we used, and the acquisition details. If you have questions about how to capture nebulae, fill out our contact form.
- Jul 31
- 4 min
IC 4592 - The Blue Horsehead Nebula - Astrophotography
IC 4592 is a beautiful reflection nebula in the constellation Scorpius. It is very close to the brighter, larger, and more colorful Rho...
- Jul 26
- 4 min
LDN 1235 - The Shark Nebula - The most difficult object imaged so far
LDN 1235, the Shark Nebula, is a dark/reflection nebula in the constellation Cepheus. This was the most difficult deep sky object I ever...
- Jul 12
- 7 min
Rho Ophiuchi - Widefield Photography of our closest Stellar Nursery
The Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex imaged in all types of ways! DSLR + Lens, Telescope mosaic, and more. A beautiful Milky Way broadband target.
- Jul 12
- 9 min
M16 - The Eagle Nebula & The Pillars of Creation
Messier 16 is one of the most iconic deep sky objects in the night sky, we imaged this target with our stock DSLR camera and cooled mono!
- Jun 30
- 7 min
NGC 6188 - Rim Nebula - Fighting Dragons of Ara Astrophotography
The Rim Nebula is one of the most exciting southern targets in the sky! It is large, colorful, and appears beautiful no matter the telescope
- May 3
- 8 min
IC 2944 - Running Chicken Nebula - Astrophotography Tips & Pictures
IC 2944 is a large and colorful deep-sky object located in the southern constellation Centaurus. It is associated with both an open...
- Mar 3
- 10 min
Vela Supernova Remnant Nebula - Astrophotography
The Vela Supernova Remnant is a massive object born from the explosion of a star in the constellation Vela. Here is our processed image...
- Feb 22
- 12 min
NGC 2264 - The Christmas Tree Cluster and Cone Nebula | Astrophotography Tips
NGC 2264 is probably the most festive deep-sky object out there! It is a large emission nebula located 2,500 light-years away in Monoceros.
- Feb 1
- 6 min
Sh2-224 - The Rice Hat Nebula | Astrophotography Tips & Pictures
If you like difficult and rarely photographed deep-sky objects, then give Sh2-224 a go! In this post, you will find information, images,...
- Dec 9, 2022
- 10 min
IC 1805 - The Heart Nebula | Astrophotography Tips & Pictures
Photographing the Heart Nebula in Cassiopeia from Bortle 9 with a narrowband filter and beginner astrophotography telescope equipment.
- Nov 27, 2022
- 7 min
NGC 281 - The Pacman Nebula | Astrophotography Tips & Pictures
54 hours on the Pacman Nebula (NGC 281) in Narrowband using a refractor telescope and monochrome camera in narrowband SHO!
- Nov 25, 2022
- 10 min
Dark Clouds in Chamaeleon and Thumbprint Nebula - Astrophotography
Astrophotography of the Chamaeleon Cloud Complex using a wide-field refractor telescope and LRGB filters!
- Nov 7, 2022
- 9 min
NGC 3576 - The Statue of Liberty Nebula Astrophotography Pictures and Tips
In this post, you will find information, images, and tips to photograph the colorful Statue of Liberty Nebula!
- Sep 9, 2022
- 9 min
NGC 7023 - The Iris Nebula | Astrophotography Tips & Pictures
The Iris Nebula astrophotograph with a refractor telescope from a Bortle 2 sky. NGC7023 is a reflection nebula in the constellation Cepheus.
- Jul 20, 2022
- 7 min
The Veil Nebula Complex - Astrophotography (NGC 6960, NGC 6992, NGC 6974)
The Veil Nebula is a gigantic Supernova remnant that constitutes the Cygnus Loop. It is best photographed in Summer.
- Jul 11, 2022
- 7 min
NGC 7000 - The North America Nebula in Narrowband
Using a wide telescope to photograph NGC 7000 (The North America Nebula) using our ZWO ASI 1600MM and ASI Air under the dark skies of NV
- Feb 18, 2022
- 7 min
IC 2177 - The Seagull Nebula Narrowband Astrophotography with Thor's Helmet
IC 2177 is a large nebula that can be found 3,650 light-years away in Monoceros. It is a great target for both broadband and narrowband...
- Jan 20, 2022
- 10 min
NGC 2237 - The Rosette Nebula Astrophotography - All You Need to Know
Astrophotography tips and different example images on the beautiful Rosette Nebula!
- Dec 14, 2021
- 4 min
The Soul Nebula in Bi-Color Astrophotography
Westerhout 5 is a large nebula that can be found 7,500 light-years away in Cassiopeia. It is rich in Hydrogen Alpha and is often...
- Dec 3, 2021
- 5 min
IC 405 & IC 410 - The Flaming Star & Tadpoles Nebulae
IC 405 (The Flaming Star Nebula) and IC 410 (The Tadpoles Nebula) are two large emission nebulae located in the constellation Auriga. The...
- Aug 20, 2021
- 5 min
NGC 7635 - The Bubble Nebula in Narrowband
The Bubble Nebula is a beautiful emission nebula discovered by William Herschel in 1787. It lies about 10,000 light-years away in the...
- Jul 13, 2021
- 4 min
NGC 6820 - A Beautiful Emission Nebula imaged from our Backyard
NGC 6820 is a beautiful emission nebula located in the constellation Vulpecula. It surrounds a bright open cluster, designated as NGC...
- Mar 18, 2021
- 5 min
Thor's Helmet (NGC 2359) - Emission Nebula in Canis Major - Astrophotography
NGC 2359 is a cloud of interstellar gas that resembles Thor’s Helmet. Although very faint, the colors in the gases really pop when taking...
- Feb 24, 2021
- 3 min
LDN 1622 - The Boogeyman Nebula in Orion
LDN 1622 is a dark nebula in Orion. It is known as the Boogie Man Nebula due to both its shape and its dark color. LDN 1622, just like...
- Jan 22, 2021
- 6 min
IC 434 - The Horsehead (And Flame) Nebula
IC 434 (The gases behind the horse’s head) and Barnard 33 (The actual horse’s head dark nebula) form the famous Horsehead nebula, not far...
- Jan 10, 2021
- 8 min
M42 - The Great Orion Nebula - Astrophotography Tips & Images
Our Astrophotography of the magnificent Orion Nebula (M42) with different telescopes and cameras, both from the desert and the city!
- Jan 1, 2021
- 3 min
NGC 2174 - The Monkey Head Nebula Astrophotography from the city
NGC 2174 is an emission nebula in Orion. It is known as the Monkey Head Nebula due to its shape although it doesn't look obvious to us....
- Oct 28, 2020
- 5 min
SH2-101 - 46 hours on The Tulip Nebula from the backyard
Sh2-101 is an emission nebula in Cygnus. It is known as the Tulip Nebula because of its flower-like shape and bright colors. 🌷 Sh2-101...
- Sep 27, 2020
- 5 min
SH2-188 - The Shrimp Nebula from the backyard
Sh2-188 is a planetary nebula in Cassiopeia. It does not have an official name but is often called the "Shrimp Nebula" or even the...
- Sep 15, 2020
- 6 min
SH2-155 - The Cave Nebula Astrophotography from the backyard
The Cave Nebula is a diffuse emission nebula in the constellation Cepheus, and is perfect for astrophotography in narrowband or true color.
- Aug 18, 2020
- 6 min
NGC 6302 - The Bug Nebula Astrophotography, our first southern sky object!
The Bug Nebula is our very first Southern Sky object captured! And it was NOT an easy one!
- Jul 30, 2020
- 4 min
IC 1396 - The Elephant's Trunk Nebula from the backyard
The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is a small part of the much larger IC 1396 emission nebula located in Cepheus. The Elephant's Trunk itself is...
- Jul 21, 2020
- 4 min
IC 5146 - The Cocoon Nebula
IC 5146, the Cocoon Nebula, is a reflection and emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus. It has a similar shape to the Iris nebula,...
- Jul 14, 2020
- 5 min
M27 - The Dumbbell Nebula - DSLR Vs Mono
M27 was the first planetary object discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. We imaged this target several times with different equipment,...
- Jun 24, 2020
- 6 min
IC 5070 - 20 hours on the Pelican Nebula from the backyard
Backyard Astrophotography of the Pelican Nebula in Cygnus. 20 hours of integration time with narrowband filters!
- Jun 14, 2020
- 5 min
IC 1318 - 40 hours on The Sadr Region and the Butterfly Nebula from the backyard
The Sadr Region is very large and is full of gases that look great in narrowband.
- Jun 1, 2020
- 6 min
M17 - The Omega nebula taken from our backyard
M17 is a fairly bright diffuse emission nebula, and is also commonly named the Swan nebula. M17 is very similar to the famous Orion...
- Mar 14, 2020
- 5 min
IC 443 - The Jellyfish Nebula with a Small Refractor Telescope
The Jellyfish Nebula is a pretty difficult target to image. We got almost 5 hours of data on it from a Bortle 4 zone and this is the result!
- Feb 15, 2020
- 7 min
NGC 1499 - The California Nebula taken from our backyard
The California Nebula Astrophotography from a very light polluted backyard and on a full moon night using the ASI071MC + TRIAD Ultra filter.
- Feb 9, 2020
- 6 min
IC 2118 - The Witch Head Nebula with Rigel's glow
Capturing the Witch Head Nebula has always been on my astrophotography bucket list. We've already imaged it a couple of times wide field,...
- Nov 25, 2019
- 7 min
NGC 6888 - The Crescent Nebula with a guest!
Our Astrophotography of the Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888) where we also challenged ourselves to capture the very faint Soap Bubble Nebula (ju1)
- Nov 4, 2019
- 5 min
NGC 7380 and The Wizard Nebula Astrophotography
NGC 7380 is an open cluster located about 8,000 light-years away in Cepheus. It rises high in the sky and can be imaged in Summer and Fall.
- May 4, 2019
- 5 min
M97 & M108 - The Owl Nebula and Surfboard Galaxy Astrophotography
M97 and M108 are two deep-sky objects that are close enough to be photographed together with an 8" astrograph. Find out how to capture it.
- Jan 21, 2019
- 4 min
M78 - Reflection Nebula in Orion
Messier 78 is a rather dark diffuse reflection nebula in the constellation of the hunter, Orion. It is very close to Messier 42 (The...
- Feb 11, 2018
- 7 min
Barnard's Loop - Within the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex
Barnard's Loop in Orion: Wide Field DSLR Astrophotography for a total of 7.2 hours of exposure at 50mm f/4 with our unmodified DSLR camera.
- Nov 27, 2017
- 6 min
NGC 7293 - The Helix Nebula DSLR Astrophotography Tips
The Helix Nebula, also known as NGC 7263 or the Eye of God, is a popular beginner astrophotography target. Learn more about this nebula.
- Nov 25, 2017
- 5 min
Messier 8 - The Lagoon Nebula - Astrophotography Tips and Pictures
The Lagoon Nebula is the 8th deep sky object in the Messier Catalog and is a great target for beginner astrophotographers because of its...
- Nov 20, 2017
- 4 min
M57 - The Ring Nebula Astrophotography
Messier 57, also called the Ring Nebula, is a small nebula located in Lyra. Find out more about the astrophotography here.
- Nov 15, 2017
- 5 min
M1 - The Crab Nebula Astrophotography
In this post we show you the difference between imaging Messier 1 with a DSLR camera in RGB Vs. with a CMOS camera in Narrowband.
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