The McNeil Nebula and the associated V1647 Ori variable star have been a target of opportunity for the author since it was discovered back in 2004. Every year, at Virtual Telescope we spend some...
V1647 Ori and the associated McNeil Nebula continues to amaze us at Virtual Telescope every time we look at them. We have been tracking it since it was discovered in 2004. Every year we...
Messier 27, also known as NGC 6853, is for sure one of the best known deep sky objects in the sky. Discovered by Charles Messier in 1764, it is easily recognizable as a fuzzy object...
Among the deep sky splendors, the author has always had an innate predilection for the splendid “Ring” nebula in Lyra, also known as Messier 57 and NGC 6720. Its inequivocable shape, with its famous central...
If you are familiar with comets, there is a deep sky object you would like to see. It is the NGC 2261 nebula and the reason is its shape. That is not all: as a...
For sure, Messier 42, the Great Orion Nebula, is on the podium of the most observed deep sky object out there. To the point that it is almost impossible to resist to image it,...
Among the most observed objects ever at Virtual Telescope, the McNeil Nebula and V1647 Ori were observed again, seven month after the previous visit. This star is a very young, pre-main sequence object and...
Among the most famous deep sky objects, NGC 7293 is the closest (and one of the largest) planetary nebulae in the sky . Discovered in 1824 by K. L. Harding, it is nicknamed “Helix”...
Placed at about 5.000 light years from us, in the Cygnus constellation, there is this intricate gaseous bubble, catalogued as NGC 6888, also known as the “Crescent” Nebula. This 25 light years large envelope...
Among the celestial treasures, planetary nebulae really stand out. Placed at a few thousands of light years from us, NGC 6781 is a perfect example of that. It is one of the apparently largest...
On 23 Feb. 2014, we visited again the McNeil nebula and V1647 Ori, after we spotted the latter in outburst last Oct and found it still bright at the end of Jan. We found...
On 28 Jan. 2014, we visited again the McNeil nebula and V1647 Ori, after we spotted the latter in outburst last Oct. We found the star still well visible, though likely a bit...
Some of you might remember a great news, dating back to Feb. 2004: the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (IAUC 8284) announced that Jay McNeil reported the discovery of a new nebular feature close to M78...
Recently, the Virtual Telescope visited those rich skyscapes of the Milky Way where Scorpius, Sagittarius and friends are offering us some of the most beautiful cosmic jewels. For sure, one of the best sights...
– Comets C/2025 A6 Lemmon & C/2025 R2 SWAN 2025 flyby (24 Oct. 2025)
