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A 21°×40° view of the Milky Way in the constellations Monoceros, Orion and Gemini is presented in different color composites. That part of the sky is full of famous HII regions (e.g. Monkey Head Nebula, Cone Nebulae, Rosette Nebula, Seagull Nebula), but there are only a few reflection nebulae.

Click on the selected previews below for detailed information, full resolution pictures (>100 MPixel) and more views from that region.

A 30°×28° wide-field view of Milky Way in the constellations Vulpecula, Sagitta and Aquila is presented. That region is characterized dense dark nebulae at the galactic plane and only a few larger emission nebulae in constellation Vulpecula.

Click on the selected previews below for full resolution images (>100 MPixel), more views and detailed information.

M63 is a spiral galaxy in constellation Canes Venatici.

The image is calculated with and without H-alpha information. By toggling between the two variants the correlation between HII gas clouds and bluish regions (containing young stars and probably also OIII gas) can be visualized.

Click on the animation for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

NGC 2403 is a spiral galaxy in Camelopardalis. NGC 2404 is one of many large HII region within the galaxy.

The image is calculated with and without H-alpha information. By toggling between the two variants the correlation between HII gas clouds and bluish regions (containing young stars and probably also OIII gas) can be visualized.

Click on the animation for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

A 50°×16° wide-field view of Milky Way that covers large parts of the constellations Scutum, Serpens Cauda and Ophiuchus. That part of the sky is characterized by HII regions near the galactic plane, the large emission nebula SH2-27 (Zeta Ophiuchi Nebula), and dense star clouds, more or less hidden behind dark nebulae.

Click on the selected previews below for full resolution images (>100 MPixel), more views and detailed information.

NGC 4244 (also known as Caldwell 26) is an edge-on spiral galaxy in constellation Canes Venatici with extended star-forming regions showing strong H-alpha emissions.

The image is calculated with and without H-alpha information. By toggling between the two variants the correlation between HII gas clouds and bluish regions (containing young stars and probably also OIII gas) can be visualized.

Click on the animation for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

M101 (also known as Pinwheel Galaxy) is a large spiral galaxy in constellation Ursa Major. It contains many bright HII regions. Some of them even have their own NGC numbers.

The image was calculated with and without H-alpha information. By toggling between the two variants the correlation between HII gas clouds and bluish regions (containing young stars and probably also OIII gas) can be visualized.

Click on the animation for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

NGC 4395 is a low surface brightness galaxy constellation Canes Venatici. NGC 4399 to NGC 4401 are bright HII regions inside the galaxy.

The image was calculated with and without H-alpha information. By toggling between the two variants the correlation between HII gas clouds and bluish regions (containing young stars and probably also OIII gas) can be visualized.

Click on the animation for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

M51 (also known as Whirlpool Galaxy) are two interacting galaxies in constellation Canes Venatici. The larger one (M51A or NGC 5194) is a spiral galaxy, the smaller companion (M51B or NGC 5195) is a distorted a dwarf galaxy.

The image was calculated with and without H-alpha information. By toggling between the two variants the correlation between HII gas clouds and bluish regions (containing young stars and probably also OIII gas) can be visualized.

Click on the animation for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

NGC 4565 is a edge-on spiral galaxy in constellation Coma Berenices. Together with the smaller smaller NGC 4562 it belongs to the Coma I group.

Click on the picture for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

IC 2574 (also known as Coddington's Nebula) is a very faint dwarf galaxy in Ursa Major. It is a member of the M81 group and contains very active star-forming regions showing strong H-alpha emissions.

The image was calculated with and without H-alpha information. By toggling between the two variants the correlation between HII gas clouds and bluish regions (containing young stars and probably also OIII gas) can be visualized.

Click on the animation for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

M94 is a spiral galaxy in constellation Canes Venatici with two ring structures. The inner ring is an active star formation region and contains a lot of young blue stars and HII regions, the broader outer ring is very faint.

The image was calculated with and without H-alpha information. By toggling between the two variants the correlation between HII gas clouds and bluish regions (containing young stars and probably also OIII gas) can be visualized.

Click on the animation for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

NGC 2903 is a barred spiral galaxy in constellation Leo.

The image was calculated with and without H-alpha information. By toggling between the two variants the correlation between HII gas clouds and bluish regions (containing young stars and also OIII gas) can be visualized.

Click on the animation for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

Different views (up to 6.3° × 3.9°), resolutions (up to 63MP) and color composites (false color with near infrared and true color) of the Pleiades and the surrounding reflection nebulae.

Click on the image for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

A 24°×34° view of the constellation Orion is presented in different color composites. That region is full of emission and reflection nebulae. Most of them lie within the Orion-Eridanus superbubble which consists in smaller bubbles most likely formed by supernovae. The H-alpha data seem to reveal a previously unknown bubble.

The images where re-calculated with new data and improved image processing.

The previews show a false color version with H-alpha and continuum, a pseudo color image only containing H-alpha (both with reduced stars) and an almost-true color image without star reduction. Click on the thumbnails for more information, selected details and full resolution pictures (>100 MPixel).

A 21°×42° view which covers most of the constellations Andromeda and Lacerta is presented. The center of the photographed region lies about 20° south of the galactic plane and is rich of high galactic latitude nebulae. Most famous objects are M33 (Triangulum galaxy), M31 (Andromeda Galaxy) and SH2-126, a large HII region in Lacerta.

The images where re-calculated with new data and improved image processing.

Click on the selected previews below for detailed information, full resolution pictures (>100 MPixel) and more views from that region.

A 25°×35° wide-field view of Milky Way in the constellations Taurus, Auriga and Perseus is presented in different color composites. Many famous nebulae like Spaghetti Nebulae, IC 405 and IC 410 can be seen near the galactic plane. The region south of it is full of Molecular clouds. Behind them there lies a larger HII complex which contains the California Nebula.

The images where re-calculated with new data and improved image processing.

The previews show a false color version with H-alpha and continuum, a pseudo color image only containing H-alpha (both with reduced stars) and an almost-true color image without star reduction. Click on the thumbnails for more information, selected details and full resolution pictures (>100 MPixel).

A dusty 6.25° × 4.0° large region in Cepheus containing NGC 7023 (Iris Nebula) and VdB 4141 (Ghost Nebula). The image was shot with SDSS I', R' and G' filters. Regions known as dark nebulae are reddish because they become transparent in infrared light (mapped to red).

Click on the image for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

A 6.25° × 4.0° large view of the Taurus Molecular Cloud containing LBN 1495 and the Baby Eagle nebula. The image was shot with SDSS I', R' and G' filters. Regions known as dark nebulae are reddish because they become transparent in infrared light (mapped to red).

Click on the image for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

New pseudo color images of SH2-105 (also known as NGC 6888 or Crescent Nebula), an emission nebula in constellation Cygnus which is ionized by a Wolf-Rayet star.

Click on the images for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

New pseudo color image of M27 (also known as Dumbbell Nebula), a planetary nebula in constellation Vulpecula.

Click on the images for detailed information, more views and full resolution pictures.

New pseudo color image of SH2-86, an emission nebula in constellation Vulpecula.

Click on the images for detailed information, more views and full resolution pictures.

The nebula complex SH2-254 thru SH2-258 lies on the border between constellations Orion and Gemini and is a part of the GEM OB1 molecular cloud.

Click on the images for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

SH2-206 (also known as NGC 1491) is an emission nebula in constellation Perseus. The interaction of the stellar wind of the ionizing star with a larger molecular cloud forms a small bubble-like structure.

Click on the images for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

SH2-184 (also known as NGC 281 or Pacman Nebula) is an emission nebula in constellation Cassiopeia containing many Bok globules and the very young star cluster IC 1590.

Click on the images for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

SH2-170 is a faint emission nebula in constellation Cassiopeia.

Click on the images for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

SH2-162 (also known as NGC 7635 or Bubble Nebula) is an emission nebula in constellation Cassiopeia. The interaction of the stellar wind of the ionizing star with a larger molecular cloud forms a bubble-like structure.

Click on the images for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

SH2-142 (also known as Wizard Nebula) is an emission nebula in constellation Cepheus which is ionized by the young star cluster NGC 7380.

Click on the images for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

SH2-112 is an emission nebula in constellation Cygnus.

Click on the images for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

SH2-105 (also known as NGC 6888 or Crescent Nebula) is an emission nebula in constellation Cygnus which is ionized by a Wolf-Rayet star.

Click on the images for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

SH2-101 (also known as Tulip Nebula) is an emission nebula in constellation Cygnus. The images also show (partially cropped) a nebula formed by the jets of Cygnus X-1, a black hole in a binary system which is accreting its companion star.

Click on the images for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

M27 (also known as Dumbbell Nebula) is a planetary nebula in constellation Vulpecula with an apparent diameter of about 16' (arcminutes). Most sources only state about 7'. But this is only the bright inner structure. This pictures also show the faint outer shell.

Click on the images for detailed information, more views and full resolution pictures.

SH2-86 is an emission nebula in constellation Vulpecula with an apparent diameter of about 40 arcminutes. The nebula is not very bright but contains some interesting pillar-structures and Bok globules.

Click on the image for detailed information and full resolution pictures.

A 21°×42° view which covers most of the constellations Andromeda and Lacerta is presented. The center of the photographed region lies about 20° south of the galactic plane and is rich of high galactic latitude nebulae. Most famous objects are M33 (Triangulum galaxy), M31 (Andromeda Galaxy) and SH2-126, a large HII region in Lacerta.

Click on the selected previews below for detailed information, full resolution pictures (>100 MPixel) and more views from that region.

A 24°×34° view of the constellation Orion is presented in different color composites. That region is full of emission and reflection nebulae. Most of them lie within the Orion-Eridanus superbubble which consists in smaller bubbles most likely formed by supernovae. The H-alpha data seem to reveal a previously unknown bubble.

Click on the selected previews below for detailed information, full resolution pictures (>100 MPixel) and more views from that region.

Latest images of comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) have been uploaded. Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) was captured between Jul 12 and Jul 25, 2020 using two different instruments. On several images a faint reddish gas tail that comes from H2O+ ions is visible (not sodium because a light pollution filter was used). A short animation the shows the movement of the gas tail is shown to.

Click on the selected previews below for detailed information, full resolution pictures and more views.