NGC 6781 – Aql
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...
Category: nebula
McNeil Nebula and V1647 Ori: updates (23 Feb. 2014)
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...
McNeil Nebula and V1647 Ori: updates (28 Jan. 2014)
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...
McNeil Nebula and V1647 Ori bright again: 31 Oct. 2013
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...
The amazing region of Messier 16, the “Eagle Nebula”
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...
M 57, the “Ring Nebula”: a new color view
After some time of stop, we took a new color image with our Celestron C14 robotic unit, to test the Baader Planetarium RGB filters we installed on the telescope, upgrading from the previous...
M 20, the “Trifid Nebula” – Sgr
Undoubtedly among the most beautiful diffuse nebulae in the sky, Messier 20 is a remarkable deep sky object, with a breathtaking color combination, ranging from blue to deep red and purple: this is...
M 57, the “Ring Nebula” – Lyr
The amazing Messier 57 planetary nebula has been imaged several times from the Virtual Telescope robotic facility. Sure, it is one of the most spectacular deep sky objects, easy to see even from live...
M 17, the “Omega Nebula” – Sgr
The region of Scorpius and Sagittarius is one of the richest places in the sky. Plenty of wonderful treasures there, with some of the most remarkable deep sky objects we know. The diffuse nebula...
M 8, the “Lagoon Nebula” – Sgr
The Lagoon Nebula, in Sagittarius, is one of the finest deep sky objects out there. It is an active star forming region and many suns are already born from this giant gas cloud....
M 16, the “Eagle Nebula” – Ser
Among the most studied nebulae in the sky, the region of the Messier 16, in Serpents, is very spectacular. A young family of stars, the open cluster NGC 6611, is born from the large cloud...
NGC 6992 – Cyg
NGC 6992 is part of the famous “Veil Nebula”, the remnant of a supernova exploded about 10.000 years ago. Its distance is estimated in about 1500 light years and it is in the same...
The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) – Ori
One of the most famous dark nebulae, Barnard 33 – the “Horsehead” – takes its glory from its unique shape: an horse head, of course! It was recognized on photographic plates by Williamina Fleming...
M 57 – Lyr
With no doubts, Messier 57 is the most famous planetary nebula in the sky. It is often called the “Ring” nebula, for obvious reasons. It was discovered by A. D. de Pellepoix in...
