Whale Galaxy (NGC 4631), and Hockey Stick Galaxy (NGC 4656), are two interacting galaxies in the Canes Venatici constellation, about 25-30 million light-years from Earth. NGC 4631 is an edge-on spiral galaxy with a diameter of about 80,000 light-years and intense star-forming regions, while NGC 4656, irregular and distorted, shows signs of gravitational interactions with its companion. Both are part of a group that also includes the dwarf elliptical galaxy NGC 4627, located near NGC 4631.

Technical data:

Telescope/Mount: Skywatcher 150/750 Heq5 pro

Camera: 294 MC PRO

Integration & filters: 220 exposures of 180" Optolong L-QEF

Acquisition: Asiair mini

Guide scope: Take 60/240

Guide camera: ZWO 224 with UV/IR cut

Location: Faggiano (TA)

Average SQM: 19.10

Bortle Class: 6

Date: 11-12/05/2026

Processing software: DSS-Graxpert-PS

Copyright: Raffaele Calcagno

The nebula, more commonly referred to as LoTr 5, short for Longmore-Tritton 5, was discovered in 1980 by AJ Longmore and SB Tritton, who found it on photo slabs taken at the Schmidt telescope in the UK.

This is a large and weak planetary nebula in the constellation of Chioma di Berenice, about 1,650 light years away

In 2018 it had the highest galactic latitude of any known planetary nebula, located only 1.5 degrees from the galactic North Pole.

LoTr 5 is one of the largest known planetary nebulae, with a radius of 1.8 light years, emits mainly light at a wavelength of 500.7 nm, corresponding to a double ionized oxygen line.

It is noted that LoTr 5's central system has been binary since 1983. At the centre is an evolutionary G-type star (IN Comae Berenices) which is often classified as a giant or subgiant star, as well as an O-type hot-white subnana or dwarf that is responsible for ionization of the nebula.

🌌 Light: 223 x 300 seconds

ilt Filter: Optolong L-Para

📷 Camera: Asi 294 mc pro

🔭 Telescopio: Sky-Watcher 200/1000 PDS

⚙️ Montatura: Skywatcher Eq 6r Pro

🛰️ Acquisizione: Asiair Plus

💻 Software: DSS - Pixinsight – PhotoshoP

20-24-25/04/2026

Location: Torricella (TA) ITALY

Copyright: PRO’ GIACOMO.

NGC 6946 is a face‑on intermediate spiral galaxy lying about 25 million light‑years away, positioned along the border of Cepheus and Cygnus. Although partially dimmed by Milky Way dust, its structure remains striking: a compact, bright nucleus, loosely wound spiral arms, and abundant gas and dust that fuel vigorous star formation. The galaxy’s inner regions show evidence of a double‑barred structure that channels material toward the core, supporting its classification as an active starburst system. Over the past century, astronomers have recorded ten supernovae exploding within its disk, an unusually high number for a single galaxy. These repeated stellar detonations, combined with its energetic star‑forming activity, are the reason NGC 6946 earned the nickname the Fireworks Galaxy. It also hosts unusual features such as the Red Ellipse, dark nebulous lanes, and the enigmatic Hodge’s Complex, making it one of the most dynamic and intriguing nearby spirals

Image Acquisition & Processing details:

Acquisition details:

Dates: 18 Nights of Imaging in May & June 2025

Total integration: 38h 33m

Integration per filter:

- Lum/Clear: 25h 36m (512 × 180")

- R: 3h (60 × 180")

- G: 3h 3m (61 × 180")

- B: 2h 54m (58 × 180")

- Hα: 4h (48 × 300")

Equipment:

- Telescope: GSO 12" f/8 Ritchey-Chretien Truss Tube

- Camera: ZWO ASI294MM Pro

- Mount: iOptron CEM70G

- Filters: Antlia 3nm Narrowband Ha, Antlia RGB 36 mm.

- Accessories: Player One FHD-OAG MINI, Player One Phoenix Wheel 7x36mm, TS-Optics 2" CCD Reducer 0.67x for RC & flatfield telescopes at F/5.36 (CCD47)

- Software: Adobe Photoshop, Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight

Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 3.00

Location: Emirates Astronomical Observatory

PrabhuAstrophotography

Description and Details: Comet C-2025 R3 (PANSTARRS) quickly intersected with the magnificent M42 Nebula, and it was history.

We at the Itex group captured this magnificent conjunction (they're rare) from the dark sky of the Atacama Desert.

The processing wasn't entirely simple, managing the comet's motion and the nebula's dynamics. After extensive work (both preprocessing and post-processing), we're happy with this result.


Processed by our member Mirko Tondinelli
Technical data:
TS-Optics 70 f5
QHY268 M
Skywatcher Wave 150i
Lum: 29x60"
R: 11x30"
G: 10x30"
B: 9x30"
Total 44'

‍ ‍Name: Mirko Tondinelli

Description and Details: Messier 83, often called the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, is one of the most photogenic and technically rewarding spiral galaxies in the southern sky. Located approximately 15 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra, it serves as a premier example of a barred spiral galaxy viewed nearly face-on. M83 is celebrated for its well-defined spiral arms, which are heavily populated by vibrant HII regions (magenta-hued star-forming nebulae) and clusters of young, blue stars. The central bar structure is prominent, funneling gas toward the nucleus and fueling an intense "starburst" of activity. Deep imaging often reveals a complex network of dark dust lanes that weave through the inner core and out into the expansive, sprawling arms.

Imaging Telescope
Sky-Watcher Quattro 250P / 10-S
Imaging Camera
ToupTek ATR585C
Mount
Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro
Filter
ZWO UV IR CUT 2"
Accessories
Sky-Watcher Quattro Coma Corrector · Starpoint Australis SP3 EAF · ZWO CAA Camera Angle Adjuster

‍ ‍Name: Carlos Taylor

2,400 light-years away, two blue reflection nebulae bathe in the diffuse Hα emission of Sh2-266. At the heart of IC 446 (center of the frame), the Herbig Be star HD 259431 lights up its dust-bordered cavity and ejects small orange knots visible around it — Herbig-Haro objects, signatures of stars in active formation. IC 447, larger and more diffuse, spreads its broad cyan glow across the lower portion of the field.

📸 ACQUISITION

⏱️ Integration per filter (total 53h45): ▸ Luminance: 17h00 (204 × 300") ▸ Red: 10h25 (125 × 300") ▸ Green: 8h00 (96 × 300") ▸ Blue: 8h40 (104 × 300") ▸ Hα: 9h40 (116 × 300")

🔭 Equipment: ▸ Telescope: Sky-Watcher Esprit 120ED ▸ Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro ▸ Mount: Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 PRO ▸ Filters: Optolong LRGB + Hα 7nm (36 mm) ▸ Accessories: PrimaLuceLab EAGLE5S, ZWO EAF, ZWO EFW 7×36mm, ZWO OAG-L

🛠️ Processing: PixInsight (WBPP → BlurX → SPCC → PCS → NoiseX → StarX → GHS) + Photoshop finishing

Copyright: Alexandre Delarue

Sh2-273 is a large region and emission nebula located roughly 2,400–2,700 light-years away in the Monoceros constellation. As part of the NGC 2264 complex, it encompasses the famous Cone Nebula and the Christmas Tree Cluster. Sh2-273 is often specifically associated with the "Fox Fur Nebula" and is a vibrant, active star-forming region.

Captured at Whispering Pines Observatory

Svbony sv555, Asi071MC Pro camera, Svbony Mini Guide scope, Asi178mc Guide camera, UV/IR Cut filter and Eq6r Pro mount.

200 light images were captured @ 300 seconds each.

Copyright: Jeffery Day

The caption of this photo could easily be... Carpe Diem!

Yesterday evening, in fact, taking advantage of a few hours of clear sky that interrupted the grayness of these days, I flew the telescope, pointed out this gorgeous cluster and took short shots, for an hour and a half, without filters, to see what was coming out.

I'd say a little something came out.

Hope you enjoy it!

Snapshot data:

75x60s G125 T-15°

Total integration time: 1h30m

Cielo Bortle 6

Equipment:

Skywatcher Newton 254/1200 PDS Explorer

Skywatcher 1x Aplanatic Coma Corrector

Player One Poseidon-C Pro

Antlia V-Pro Series L (UV-IR Cut)

Touptek OAG-X + Touptek 678m Guide camera

Ioptron CEM7

Copyright: Francesco Radici

NGC 5701 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Virgo. Discovered by William Herschel in 1786, it lies approximately 95 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy has an apparent magnitude of about 11.4.

NGC 5701 is notable for its bright central bar and well-defined outer ring structure, features commonly associated with barred spiral galaxies.

My image was captured using a GSO RC10 carbon fibre tube telescope and an Atik 383L+ camera, all mounted on a Losmandy G11. Total integration time is approximately 10 hours, consisting of about 5 and a half hours of luminance and one and a half hours each of red, green, and blue — under Bortle 3 skies.

Copyright: Jovan Kulic

NGC 2516 (also known as C 96) is a highly concentrated open cluster visible in the southern constellation of Carena.

NGC 2516 is a very luminous cluster, the distance of which is estimated to be around 1330 light years and is therefore located within the Orion Arm, a short distance from the boundaries of the great Gum Nebula.

NGC 2516 has about a hundred certain members, some of which are giant stars: in fact there are some orange giants, a red giant irregular variable, and other stars; similar to the central part of the Nativity cluster, NGC 2516 appears to show typical signs of the mass segregation phenomenon, while the Distribution of components is irregular, with some dark bands less dense.

The age of the cluster is estimated to be around 60 million years and is one of seven open-sky clusters that show the same age and a motorcycle in common space, including the Pleiades, the Southern Pleiades and the Alpha Persei Cluster.

The first to report the presence of this cluster in the Celestial Time was Abbot Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, who discovered it during his stay in Cape Town and included it in his catalogue published in 1755; here he classifies it as a nebular object and points it as a dense group of 10-12 stars. Actually the nebulity was due to the partial resolution of the cluster that Lacaille could perform, as John Herschel would have confirmed a little less than a century later: he actually referred to it as a compact object consisting of 200-250 stars and devoid of luminosity, with an orange star in the center of the magnitude to be taken.

Data acquired at Chilescope

ASA Newton 500 @1900mm, f/3.8

ASA DDM85 equatorial mount

FLI PL16803 CCD camera

Astrodon R/G/B filters 3x(2x300")

APP, PixInsight, PS

copyright: Massimo Fusco

Description and Details:‍ ‍

Messier 64 (Black Eye Galaxy), located ~17 million light-years away in Coma Berenices, showing its prominent dust lane caused by counter-rotating gas. Surrounding it is Integrated Flux Nebula (IFN), a foreground galactic cirrus illuminated by the diffuse light of the universe.

Details:
Telescope: Sky-Watcher Esprit 120 ED Pro
Reducer: Riccardi 0.75× Field Reducer
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro (Monochrome)
Mount: ZWO AM5 Harmonic Drive
Focuser: ZWO EAF Electronic Auto-Focuser
Filters: Antlia 3nm LRGB (2")
Location: AstroCamp, Nerpio, Albacete, Spain
Elevation: 1670m
Sky Quality: Bortle 1
Processing: PixInsight & Adobe Photoshop

Total 20.5 hrs of exposure

Data acquisition: Chris Gaudy (@astrophotomarket )
Image Processing: Harshwardhan Pathak

‍ ‍Name: Harshwardhan Pathak

Description

In a remote corner of Joshua Tree National Park, a small stone dragon gazes upward as the Milky Way rises above the distant mountains.

Sculpted by aeons of wind and weather, the dragon blends seamlessly into its surroundings, its earthy tones echoed in the galaxy’s golden star fields and reddish-brown clouds of cosmic dust.

While scorpions are among the most feared creatures of the desert, the celestial scorpion glowing on the right side of the frame is a far more welcome presence. This vibrant region of the night sky seems to fascinate the silent dragon as it keeps watch beneath the turning heavens.

EXIF

Canon EOS-R, astro-modified by EOS 4Astro

Sigma 28mm f/1.4 ART

IDAS NBZ filter with Canon EF-EOS R drop-in adapter

Sunwayfoto T2840CK tripod

Foreground:

Focus stack of 8x 5s @ ISO800 during twilight

Sky:

Stack of 7x 45s @ISO1600, clear filter & 3x 105s @ ISO6400, IDAS

copyright: Ralf Rohner

Description and Details: The Antennae Galaxies are among the most spectacular objects in the deep sky. Located about 45 million light-years away in the constellation Corvus, they are the result of an ongoing collision between two spiral galaxies, known as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039.

Their nickname comes from the long, luminous structures shaped like antennae that extend on either side of the system. These “antennae” are actually tidal tails, formed by the intense gravitational interaction between the two galaxies. As they draw closer, their stars, gas, and dust are violently disturbed, creating these stretched and elegant shapes.

This galactic collision does not occur in total chaos: stars rarely collide directly due to the enormous distances between them. However, clouds of gas are strongly compressed, triggering intense star formation activity. The Antennae Galaxies thus act as a true cosmic laboratory where thousands of new stars are born, often grouped into very bright stellar clusters.

Observed in detail by telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope, these galaxies provide astronomers with a valuable glimpse of what the future of our own galaxy, the Milky Way, might look like when it collides with the Andromeda Galaxy in several billion years.

Eventually, the Antennae Galaxies will fully merge to form a single large galaxy, likely elliptical in shape. This process, although violent on a cosmic scale, is actually a fundamental mechanism in the evolution of galaxies in the universe.

Thus, the Antennae Galaxies are not only a fascinating spectacle; they are also an essential key to understanding how galaxies are born, evolve, and transform over time.

To capture this photograph, I took 100 exposures of 240 seconds using a ZWO ASI 533 MC Pro camera equipped with an Astronomik L2 UV-IR Block filter, mounted on a 250/750 Newtonian telescope.

‍ ‍Name: Mathieu Geffroy

Description

Markarian’s Chain is the name of the curved chain of galaxies that arcs through this image. This chain is part of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster, the centre of which is about 54 million light years away. The Virgo Cluster contains about 1,500 galaxies and is estimated to have a total mass of about 10 quadrillion times the Sun’s (1 quadrillion = 1 million billion). This image captures just a small portion of the Virgo cluster. I also imaged this chain of galaxies in a much wider fieldalmost a decade ago.

Acquisition, focusing, and control of Sky-Watcher Wave 150i mount and other equipment with N.I.N.A. and Green Swamp Server. Primalucelab 3″ ESATTO focuser, ARCO rotator, GIOTTO flat panel and ALTO cover motor. Equipment control with Primalucelab EAGLE 6 Pro computer. All pre-processing and processing in PixInsight. Acquired from my SkyShed in Guelph. Acquired under above average transparency and seeing and moderate moonlight from April 19 – 27, 2026.

Sky-Watcher Esprit 120, QHY168C camera, Optolong L-Quad Enhance filter.

115 x 5m = 9hr 35m

Image scale 0.574 arcsec per pixel (with 2X Drizzle)

Copyright: Ron Brecher

‍Description and Details:‍ ‍

The Iris Nebula is a wisp of bluish dust nestled within the dark veils of Cepheus.
Illuminated by the star HD 200775, it does not shine of its own accord; rather, it whispers the light, diffusing it like a cosmic secret.
A cold cloud shaped by the physics of grains and photons, it nonetheless appears to our eyes as a celestial flower—fragile, almost shy—suspended between science and dream.
Newtonian 250/1000, Poseidon MM camera, Astronomik Deep Sky LRGB filters—all mounted on an EQ8-R.

L : 360 x 240s
R : 71 x 120s
V : 65 x 120s
B : 65 x 120s
Soit 30 h 42 min

‍ ‍Name: Pascal FACON

Description and Details:‍ ‍

The IC 2944 nebula, commonly known as the Running Chicken Nebula, is undoubtedly one of the most captivating targets in the night sky. The Hubble Palette (SHO) remains my preferred choice for this object for good reason: it dramatically enhances the contrast of the cosmic dust, reveals exquisite details within the dark Bok globules, and even captures a faint planetary nebula tucked into the upper right field of view. This entire region is truly a rich tapestry of stunning structures.

Equipment: captured here using an Askar 80PHQ f/5.7 and an ASI2600MM camera with Optolong 7nm filters.

Total integration consisted of 10h 25m of SHO data combined with 1h 30m of RGB stars (30s sub-exposures), all acquired under Bortle 7 skies in Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brazil.

‍ ‍Name: Thiago Prado

Description and Details:‍ ‍

M106 Galaxy (NGC 4258), a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici, is a breathtaking sight. With its well-defined spiral arms and bright core, M106 spans about 30,000 light-years in diameter and lies approximately 23.5 million light-years from Earth. It is a fascinating galaxy, known for its active nucleus and the presence of a supermassive black hole at its center.
But M106 is not alone in this frame: the field is dotted with countless other galaxies. Beyond the most prominent ones—such as NGC 4217, NGC 4226 (bottom right), NGC 4248, NGC 4252 (adjacent to the right of M106), and NGC 4220 (top right)—there are many more, fainter galaxies populating the background. I noticed them during the image processing. Every tiny bright dot, no matter how small, could be a distant galaxy, millions or even billions of light-years away, each with its own unique story and characteristics.

Technical Details:
• Telescope/Mount: Skywatcher 150/750 HEQ5 Pro
• Camera: ZWO ASI 294 MC Pro
• Integration & Filters:
• 210 x 300" exposures with Optolong L-QEF filter
• 77 x 300" exposures with Optolong L-PRO filter (for H-alpha regions)
• Acquisition: Asiair Mini
• Guide Scope: 60/240
• Guide Camera: ZWO ASI 224 with UV/IR cut filter
• Location: Faggiano (TA), Italy
• Date: April 19–20, 24–25, 2026
• Bortle Class: 6
• Processing Software: DSS, GraXpert, Photoshop

‍ ‍Name: Raffaele Calcagno

Description and Details:‍ ‍

This iconic duo in Ursa Major features M108, a barred spiral galaxy seen edge-on, alongside M97, the well-known Owl Nebula.

The data was captured in LRGB complemented with Ha and OIII to bring out the full richness of the planetary nebula. Its brightness particularly surprised me, as it is already clearly visible even in the LRGB data alone.

A continuum subtraction was applied to the Ha and OIII channels to better isolate the emission signal while preserving a natural look. The galaxy also reveals an interesting and different aspect in these wavelengths.

Newton Sky-watcher 200/800
ZWO asi294mm pro
Antlia filters set LRVB HO
25h exposure time

‍ ‍Name: Nicolas PUIG

Sun in H-alfa (656,3 nm) 26.04.2026

iOptron CEM70G, Lunt Solar Systems LS60THaDS60PT/B1200, Point Grey Grasshopper3 GS3-U3-28S4M

Copyright: Salvo Lauricella