Nebulae make for some of the most beautiful astrophotos. These glowing cosmic clouds of dust and gas are often illuminated by the radiation from hot, young stars burning brightly. The result is incredible and etheral deep-sky objects ripe for capture by astro imagers across the world.
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Just like meteorological clouds viewed from Earth, people often see familiar shapes in nebulae and many have acquired informal names throughout the years based on their appearance.
Below is a selection of some of the best astrophotographs of nebulae sent into to BBC Sky at Night Magazine.
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If you would like to submit your own images, find out how to do so here.
The Lobster Nebula Fernando Oliveira De Menezes, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Equipment: QHY16200A camera, 150mm apo triplet refractor.
The Jellyfish Nebula Steve Pastor, Mayhill US. Equipment: QSI683WSG CCD camera, Takahashi CCA-250 Cassegrain, Paramount ME mount.
The Triffid Nebula Chris Platkiw, iTelescope Siding Springs Observatory, Australia. Equipment: SBIG ST-2000XCM camera, Takahashi SKY-90 refractor.
The Iris Nebula Pete Lawrence, Lisburn, UK. Equipment: Atik 428 mono camera, Sky-Watcher Quattro 200 CF Newtonian, Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro mount.
The Cat’s Paw Nebula Rafael Compassi, Presidente Lucena, Brazil. Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM-C camera, 80mm apo triplet refractor.
The California Nebula Joseph Stafford, Derbyshire, UK. Equipment: Canon EOS 1200D DSLR camera, Sky-Watcher ED80 DS Pro refractor, Celestron CG5 Advanced GT mount.
The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula Stephen Wilson, Middlesbrough, UK. Equipment: Atik 314l+ camera, Altair Astro 6-inch Ritchey-Chrétien Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount.
The Orion Nebula Tom Harbin, Essex, UK. Equipment: Canon Rebel T5i DSLR camera, Celestron NexStar 127mm Maksutov, Alt-Az GoTo mount.
The Jellyfish Nebula Stewart Wilson, North London, UK. Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM camera, Sky-Watcher Quattro 250mm f/4 Imaging Newtonian, 10Micron GM-1000 HPS mount.
The Horsehead Nebula John Tonks, Pembrokeshire, UK. Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM camera, 180mm 180mm Maksutov.
The Tadpole and Flaming Star Nebulae Gábor Szendrai, Kendig, Hungary. Equipment: Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera, GPU 100/635 apochromatic refractor
The Wizard Nebula Duan Yusef, Essex, UK. Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM-C camera, IK 10-inch Truss Tube Ritchey-Chrétien, Sky-Watcher EQ8 mount.
The Witch Head Nebula Quek Zong Ye, Singapore. Equipment: QHY16200 CCD camera, Takahashi Epsilon 180ED refractor, Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 mount.
The Phantom Nebula Robert Scott, Northumberland, UK. Equipment: QHY9m camera, William Optics Megrez 90mm refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6 mount.
The Soul Nebula Martin Pyott, St Andrews, UK. Equipment: Canon EOS 600D DSLR camera, Altair Astro Lightwave 66mm ED refractor, iOptron Smart EQ mount.
The Tadpole Nebula Mark Griffith, Swindon, UK. Equipment: Atik 383L+ camera, Teleskop Service 12-inch Richey-Chrétien, Sky-Watcher EQ8 mount.
The Heart and Tunafish Nebulae James Robertson, Croydon, UK. Equipment: CanonEOS 750D DSLR camera, Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED refractor.
The Omega Nebula Tom Bishton, Gold Coast Hinterland, Australia. Equipment: Canon EOS 600D DSLR camera, Black Diamond ED120 refractor, Sky-Watcher AZ EQ6 mount.
Cygnus Wall Rob Little. Equipment: ATIK 383L+ CCD Camera, Takahashi FSQ 106 refractor, Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro mount.
The Veil Nebula Sheila Whysall, Heanor, UK. Equipment: QSI 683 WSG-8 mono CCD camera, Takahashi FSQ 106 refractor, GM1000 mount
