The North American Nebulae

am i a planet

James Webb Space Telescope image of Pillars of Creation

The celestial object of the day is Phobos!

It's Mars's largest moon with 21 km (13 mi), it orbits Mars at only 6,000 km (3,700 mi) and it gets closer by 1.8 meters every year, at that rate is expected to collide with Mars or form a planetary ring in about 30-50 million years!

Pastel clouds and ocean from the ISS ©

NGC 1999

NGC 1999 is a reflection nebula located in the constellation Orion.

It is notable for its striking appearance, which includes a dark patch that resembles a hole in the surrounding gas and dust.

This dark region is often referred to as the "hole" in NGC 1999, and it is thought to be a result of the absorption of light by the dust in the nebula.

Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, ESO, K. Noll

Oyster Nebula (NGC 1501)

(NEW) click on ALT for brief description.

Beautiful super Moon from earlier in the year!

Planetary Nebula NGC 2440

Planetary nebula NGC 2440 is a relic of a star once like our Sun that has cast off its outer layers of gas, forming a colorful cocoon around the star's remaining core.