IC 1396, Open Star Cluster

This is Sharpless 101! 💕💕💕

This stunning HII emission nebula is also called the Tulip Nebula due to its flower-like shape. This field is close to the Cygnus X-1 quasar, which was one of the first detected black holes! 💞💞💞

Taken by me (Michelle Park) using the Slooh Canary Two telescope on August 8th, 2021 at 23:16 UTC.

This is the Trifid Nebula! 🎀🎀🎀

With its name meaning “divided into 3 lobes”, this close-up picture shows the stellar beauty of this star-forming region. Containing an open cluster, emission nebula, reflection nebula, and a dark nebula, the Trifid Nebula is one of the most unique nebulae that makes it a common target for astronomers! 💖💖💖

Taken by me (Michelle Park) using the Slooh Chile Two telescope on June 12th, 2021 at 1:47 UTC. 

This is the Christmas Tree Cluster and Cone Nebula! 🎄🎄🎄

It’s the holiday season! The Christmas Tree Cluster takes up the bulk of this image with its bright, young stars that illuminate the surrounding dust. The Cone Nebula is much smaller and is the protruding cone-shaped item at the mid-bottom leftish of the image with its dark, absorbing gas! ✨✨✨

Taken by me (Michelle Park) using the Slooh Canary Three telescope on December 13th, 2020 at 00:22 UTC.

This is the Lunar Eclipse of May 15th, 2022! 💖💖💖

As the Earth’s shadow covers the Moon, it appears to disappear into darkness. This is just one of 85 lunar eclipses that will occur in the 21st century. If you missed this one, don’t worry! The next total lunar eclipse will occur on November 8th, 2022. 🌑🌛✨

Taken by me (Michelle Park) using the Slooh Canary One telescope on May 15th, 2022. 

This is the Pelican Nebula! 🦢🦢🦢

The molecular cloud of dark dust on the left of this image separates this nebula from the nearby North America Nebula. This nebula is quickly changing as newborn, hot stars ionize the gas and push it around, leading to its expansion! 💖💖💖

Taken by me (Michelle Park) using the Slooh Canary Two telescope on August 9th, 2021 at 3:52 UTC.

This is the Rim Nebula! 💖💖💖

This star forming nebula has been drastically shaped by a nearby open star cluster known as NGC 6193. The rampant star formation was caused to a bunch of supernovae taking place during the last batch of stars - meaning that some of these stars are very young (only a few million years old)! 🌃🌃🌃

Taken by me (Michelle Park) using the Slooh Chile Two telescope on February 26th, 2021 at 8:42 UTC.

Throwback Thursday!

i love ducks 🦆

This is the Skull Nebula! 💀💀💀

The glow of this eerie nebula is perfect for Halloween! This planetary nebula has a binary star system with a third star orbiting it. The beautiful colors of this nebula come from the outer layers of a Sun-like star that died in an explosion! 👻👻👻

Taken by me (Michelle Park) using the Slooh Canary Three telescope on October 28th, 2021 at 1:57 UTC.