Astro image from last night

We finally had some clear skies again and I had the scope out and got a few decent images.

This was the best of the lot, IC 1318B, sometimes called the Butterfly Nebula. It’s about 4,000 light years away and is an emission nebula. Emission nebula are caused by intense ultraviolet radiation from a dying star that ionizes the interstellar gas around the star.

Author: grouchyfarmer

Yes, I'm a former farmer. Sort of. I'm also an amateur radio operator, amateur astronomer, gardener, maker of furniture, photographer. View all posts by grouchyfarmer

4 thoughts on “Astro image from last night”

I looked up how long it would take to get there, and it is hundreds of millions of years using current technology, or 4,000 years at the speed of light. That is just totally mind-blowing that you can actually see it through your scope.

Best wishes, Pete.

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grouchyfarmer says:

June 27, 2026 at 10:32 pm

I’ve been an amateur astronomer for many years and I’ve owned several telescopes but none of them have impressed me as much as this little SeeStar does.

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Great shot here! And only 4,000 light years away! An astronomical a hop, skip, and a jump away! Isn’t the night sky so beautiful? I am loving some of the pis the JWSTis sending back, of course, we’ve never seen anything like them! Thanks for sharing!

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