Rising like a ghostly form in the dark recesses of the Cepheus constellation, LDN 1235—also known as the Shark Nebula—prowls the sky in this deep-sky portrait from Rancho Corral Falso, Baja California, Mexico. Composed of cold, dense interstellar dust, this dark nebula blocks background starlight while subtly reflecting that of embedded and nearby stars, particularly the blue ones on its flank.

The Shark Nebula is part of a vast complex of dark nebulae and molecular clouds cataloged by Lynds. Though it appears opaque, careful long-exposure imaging reveals its intricate details and faint blue reflection zones. These regions indicate that the nebula isn't entirely devoid of light, some of the starlight escapes scattering, allowing us to witness its haunting shape against the cosmic backdrop.

This image captures the full disk of the Sun in the elusive Helium-I 7065 Å wavelength, a rarely imaged spectral line that lies in the far red part of the spectrum. Using a spectroheliograph, several high-resolution scans were carefully acquired, stacked, and processed to subtract the continuum and isolate the faint helium signal.

While the 10830 Å and 5875.6 Å (D3) helium lines are more commonly targeted, imaging the Sun in He I 7065 is exceptionally rare due to the line's subtlety and the high technical demands involved. This may be the first known full-disk image of the Sun in this band, revealing delicate filamentary structures and activity regions otherwise hidden in more conventional wavelengths. The result is a novel glimpse into solar dynamics through an uncommon helium filter.

Appearing razor-thin against the cosmic backdrop, NGC 5907 slices through the constellation Draco in this deep LRGB image. Also known as the Splinter Galaxy, this elegant spiral lies approximately 50 million light-years away and is seen almost perfectly edge-on. Its warped disk and faint tidal features suggest a turbulent history, an ongoing gravitational dance with a long-disrupted satellite galaxy.

Arcing delicately around NGC 5907 is a spectacular stellar stream, the ghostly remnant of that merger. Composed of stars flung out by tidal forces, this faint loop of light is rarely visible in amateur images. Capturing such a structure requires exceptional sky conditions and long integration times, making this view both scientifically valuable and visually arresting.

NGC 6888, also known as the Crescent Nebula, glows brilliantly in this wide-field image captured in RGB and hydrogen-alpha (Ha). The hydrogen emission dominates the surrounding region, revealing the intricate filaments and shock fronts generated by the powerful stellar winds of its central Wolf-Rayet star, WR 136. Surrounding the nebula is a faint OIII bubble envelope, adding an additional layer of depth and structure.

In this image, you can also spot the “Soap Bubble Nebula” (PN G75.5+1.7), a small, nearly perfect spherical shell discovered only a few years ago. It appears like a tiny soap bubble suspended in space, making it a unique feature within the same field of view.

One of the most structurally complex planetary nebulae known, NGC 6543, popularly called the Cat’s Eye Nebula, lies about 3,300 light-years away in the constellation Draco. At its heart is a dying star that has expelled its outer layers into intricate shells of glowing ionized gas. This image captures not only the iconic teal core but also the fainter filamentary halos that extend well beyond its central nebula, likely the result of episodic mass loss over thousands of years.

Remarkably, the nebula is set against a starfield studded with faint galaxies, including a prominent spiral below it. These background galaxies provide a cosmic depth to the frame, contrasting the relatively nearby planetary nebula with structures billions of light-years away. This portrait is a powerful reminder of the beauty and scale of celestial evolution.

This deep-sky portrait from the constellation Corona Australis juxtaposes two contrasting yet co-located cosmic marvels: the dense globular cluster NGC 6723 on the left, and the vibrant blue reflection nebulae NGC 6726, NGC 6727, and IC 4812 on the right. The globular cluster lies about 28,000 light-years away, densely packed with hundreds of thousands of ancient stars in a roughly spherical formation.

To the right, the nebulae reside much closer, only about 400 light-years from Earth. Their blue color is produced as starlight scatters off interstellar dust, most prominently from the bright stars R and T Coronae Australis. These young stars are still surrounded by the remnants of the clouds from which they formed. Embedded regions of reddish-pink emission and twisting dark dust lanes add further complexity to the scene. This image was built up over 49 hours of exposure using RGB and H-alpha filters to capture both the fine reflection details and subtle emission structures.

This extraordinary wide-field view of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) reveals more than just our nearest large galactic neighbor. Cutting across the frame is a strange blue arc—SDSO 1—now recognized as the first member of a new class of celestial objects: Ghost Planetary Nebulae (GPNe). SDSO 1 lies within our own Milky Way and represents a shock wave driven by the remnants of a faint, fast-moving planetary nebula. Though the central star is nearly invisible, its supersonic motion—estimated at Mach 7—creates a glowing bow shock and trailing wake of expelled gas, rendered here in brilliant detail.

What was once thought to be diffuse Hα background is now revealed to be part of a high-velocity interaction. The ghostly tail is composed of material ejected from the nebula, lighting up as it collides with the interstellar medium. Without this interaction, the nebula would remain entirely hidden—its material now too diffuse to detect directly. This image not only highlights Andromeda’s grandeur, but also captures a fleeting and final phase in the life of a star, offering new insights into stellar evolution and galactic archaeology.

IC 4592, often called the Blue Horsehead Nebula, is a striking reflection nebula located in the constellation Scorpius. The blue glow comes from starlight scattered by fine interstellar dust, particularly from the bright star Nu Scorpii embedded near the nebula’s "eye." This image captures the delicate interplay of colors, cool blues from reflection, warm browns from cosmic dust, and crimson wisps of hydrogen emission from the surrounding region.

The intricate structure and pastel hues visible here were made possible by a HaLRGB imaging technique, which enhances subtle hydrogen emission while preserving the true colors of dust and starlight. IC 4592 lies around 400 light-years away and spans over 10 light-years across, making it one of the more expansive and complex reflection nebulae in our celestial neighborhood. Its resemblance to a horse's head is more abstract than that of its more famous namesake in Orion, but no less mesmerizing.

Floating quietly in the constellation Delphinus, Abell 72 is a faint planetary nebula and one of the lesser-known entries in George Abell’s 1966 catalog. Its delicate structure and low surface brightness make it a challenging target for astrophotographers and visual observers alike. The nebula marks the remains of a Sun-like star in its final evolutionary stages, having shed its outer layers and exposed its hot, ultraviolet-emitting core.

Appearing here as a delicate blue shell against a dense starfield, Abell 72 spans nearly two arcminutes across. Its rounded, bubble-like structure reveals subtle inner details when captured with long exposures and careful image calibration. The glowing gas is primarily ionized oxygen (OIII), giving it its distinct blue hue. Despite its ghostly appearance, this fading stellar envelope tells a vivid story of transformation and cosmic recycling.

Nestled 4,200 light-years away in the southern constellation Norma (historically La Règle), the paired emission nebulae NGC 6164 and NGC 6165 stretch outward from the massive O-type star HD 148937, forming a striking bipolar structure reminiscent of a cosmic flame or dragon’s breath. The brighter, compact central region is enveloped by faint, curving tendrils of ionized gas, which are sculpted by powerful stellar winds and past mass ejections.

The surrounding nebulosity likely resulted from HD 148937 undergoing unstable outbursts during its short, turbulent lifetime. At the heart of the image, hydrogen-alpha emission glows in magenta hues, while oxygen-rich filaments shimmer in shades of blue, revealing the complexity of this rarely imaged stellar outflow. Deep, narrowband exposures and refined processing were required to capture the delicate structure and faint outer arcs of this extraordinary object.

In this remarkable first light image from the newly commissioned TI45 450mm telescope, the complex star-forming region NGC 6357, also known as the Lobster Nebula—unfolds in stunning SHO detail. Captured at f/4 using a Moravian C3 camera mounted on a PlaneWave L500, the image showcases the intense emission from sulfur (red), hydrogen (green), and oxygen (blue) with a narrowband palette, revealing a turbulent environment of glowing gas, dark dust pillars, and emerging star clusters. At the heart of the nebula lies the open cluster Pismis 24, home to some of the most massive stars known in our galaxy.

Spanning nearly 400 light-years across in the constellation Scorpius and located about 5,500 light-years away, NGC 6357 is a hotbed of stellar birth, shaped by the fierce winds and radiation of its young, massive stars. This 71-hour integration represents not just an astrophotographic milestone for the instrument's debut but a deep dive into the raw power of stellar feedback sculpting the interstellar medium.

This sharply detailed 7-panel lunar mosaic showcases the expansive Mare Imbrium region, one of the Moon’s most prominent and scientifically significant impact basins. The lava-flooded plains are surrounded by dramatic features such as the Montes Alpes and Montes Apenninus mountain ranges, along with the distinctive craters Plato, Archimedes, Aristillus, and Autolycus. Toward the right, the powerful ray system of Copernicus crater is clearly visible, while Sinus Iridum and other features round out the mosaic's western edge. A full lunar disc inset in the top right marks the imaged area for reference.

This ethereal arc of glowing gas marks part of the supernova remnant Sh2-91, located in the rich star fields of the constellation Cygnus. Likely the result of a massive star that exploded tens of thousands of years ago, the remnant stretches across space in tangled, luminous filaments of ionized hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue-green). Though not as well-known as the Veil Nebula, Sh2-91 is believed to be part of the same vast Cygnus Loop complex, now fading into the interstellar medium.

Captured in exquisite detail, this deep exposure reveals the shock fronts sweeping through the surrounding interstellar material. The arcing structure and radiant hues convey the immense energy of the original explosion, now diffused across light-years of space.

Nestled 1,300 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus, NGC 7023, also known as the Iris Nebula, is a striking example of a reflection nebula. Illuminated by a hot, young star at its center, the surrounding interstellar dust scatters the starlight, producing the soft blue glow seen in this image. The intricate network of dark tendrils, shaped by magnetic fields and turbulent motion, testifies to the dynamic nature of the interstellar medium.

Captured in June 2025 by the Game Shark Collective, John Poole, Jeff Newgard, Derek Morf, and Stefan Pommerin—this deep image reveals not just the core of the Iris but also the vast, faint molecular dust clouds that envelop it. With exceptional detail and contrast, the nebula appears to bloom from within a cocoon of cosmic smoke, highlighting the complex interplay between light and matter in star-forming regions.

NGC 7293, better known as the Helix Nebula, is a planetary nebula located approximately 655 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius. Often nicknamed the “Eye of God” for its shape, the Helix represents the final stages in the life of a Sun-like star, as it sheds its outer layers into space. The exposed stellar core, a white dwarf, remains at the center, illuminating the surrounding gases in vivid emission.

This image is a deep and highly detailed view composed of more than 115 hours of integration: 289 exposures in H-alpha, 186 in SII, 180 in OIII (each 600 seconds), and shorter RGB exposures to preserve color fidelity. The resulting composite reveals intricate filaments of ionized gas and the faint outer halo, rarely captured in such clarity. The contrast between the bright inner ring and the extended tendrils of gas adds striking dimensionality to this iconic object.

Messier 106, a bright spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici, lies about 23 million light-years away and dominates the small local galaxy group known as Canes II. Its striking structure includes tightly wound spiral arms and a bright, active nucleus powered by a supermassive black hole. Radio and X-ray observations suggest that jets of material are being ejected perpendicular to the galaxy’s disk, producing faint wisps of emission often associated with Seyfert activity.

This deep image, captured from South Portugal, reveals several companion galaxies scattered across the frame, along with intricate dust lanes and a vivid galactic core. Taken using an Astrosib RC 400 on a DDM85 mount with a Moravian C4 CMOS camera, the final image combines precise tracking and post-processing using PixInsight and Photoshop to showcase the structure and surroundings of this energetic galaxy system.

Sharpless 34, or Sh2-34, is a sprawling and faint emission nebula located in the constellation Aquila, roughly 4,500 light-years from Earth. This expansive region is part of a large complex of hydrogen gas energized by the intense ultraviolet radiation from nearby hot, young stars. Though rarely imaged due to its subtle structure and low surface brightness, Sh2-34 presents a tapestry of interwoven filaments and diffuse ionized gas, painted in rich hues of red by hydrogen-alpha emission.

The nebula is thought to be a remnant of past stellar activity, possibly shaped by the powerful winds and supernovae of OB-type stars. Its complex morphology and vast reach across the Milky Way’s plane make it a fascinating subject for deep-sky astrophotography, especially in narrowband filters that reveal the intricate structures otherwise invisible to the human eye.

Floating like a cosmic jellyfish amid a sea of glowing gas and dust, RCW 104 surrounds a dying star located roughly 9,000 light-years away in the constellation Norma. At the heart of this stunning nebula is the Wolf–Rayet star WR 75, a massive stellar remnant shedding its outer layers through intense stellar winds. The bubble-like structure is formed as these winds collide with surrounding material, energizing the gas and sculpting the vibrant nebular shell.

This wide-field portrait, taken from the dark skies of the SADR Observatory in Chile, reveals not only the turquoise-blue bubble of RCW 104 but also the expansive background of red hydrogen-alpha filaments that dominate the surrounding region. The sharp contrast between the cool, turbulent winds of the Wolf–Rayet star and the dense, glowing hydrogen of the interstellar medium makes this a compelling glimpse into the final stages of stellar evolution.

One of the most colorful and photogenic regions in the night sky, the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex is a rich interplay of dark dust, glowing gas, and young stars. Located about 400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Ophiuchus, this molecular cloud hosts both reflection nebulae and emission nebulae. The bright blue glow around the star Rho Ophiuchi results from starlight scattering off fine dust particles, while the red regions reveal areas where hydrogen gas is ionized by ultraviolet radiation from hot stars.

Captured over 50 hours at Deep Sky Chile, this mosaic blends RGB and H-alpha exposures to reveal the fine structure and subtle hues of the region, from the vibrant reds near Sh2-27 and IC 4604 to the sweeping brown dust lanes and pockets of star formation. The view includes multiple well-known objects like Antares, M4, and the blue reflection nebula IC 4603, all intertwined within the dusty folds of this dynamic star-forming environment.

Towering in the constellation Cepheus, the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula is a dense concentration of gas and dust sculpted by stellar winds and radiation from nearby massive stars. Designated IC 1396A, this dark, sinuous formation is part of the much larger emission region IC 1396, located roughly 2,400 light-years from Earth. The nebula glows from ionized hydrogen illuminated by the star HD 206267, while young protostars still forming inside the cloud drive subtle outflows that shape its intricate structure.

This deep LRGB image, captured from Frosty Acres Ranch during the Golden State Star Party in California, reveals fine detail in the nebula’s dusty ridges and glowing pink edges. Star formation is active within the trunk, with Herbig-Haro objects and infrared sources nestled within the obscured regions. The contrast between the dark globule and its luminous surroundings makes this one of the most recognizable star-forming pillars in the night sky.