JIM CASE

When my wife saw this one she immediately said it was a dove, though most know it as IC5070, the Pelican Nebula in Cygnus. We liked it so much we will use it on our holiday card this year, hopefully bringing a peaceful celebration to all! It is illuminated by a hot blue type O5 star that also illuminates the neighboring North American Nebula. It was created from 63 five minute exposures using an ASI2600MC camera, an AT115EDT telescope, and an ALP-T dual narrowband filter to capture the ionized hydrogen and oxygen that light up the nebula. The ASIAIR+, the ASI174mm guide camera and ASI OAG and CEM40 mount were also used. It was processed in Astro Pixel Processor and PhotoShop.

Two Quite Different Aging Stars This image includes two aging stars approaching the end of their lives. NGC 6888 is the bright Crescent Nebula at the top right which is energized by a Wolf-Rayet star (WR 136), a massive star which will end its life in a supernova. At the lower left you can see the Soap Bubble Nebula (PN Ju 1), a planetary nebula of a much smaller star, shedding layers as it nears the end of a much longer life. This planetary nebula was first discovered by amateur astronomers in July 2009. The image was captured with 10.5 hours of exposures with a AT115EDT, the ASI2600MC, and the Antila ALP-T dual narrowband filter, using the CEM40, ASAIR+, and ASI OAG, with the ASI174mm mini for guiding. It was processed using APP and PS.