Rising Star Observatory

Rising Star Observatory Hi my name is Neil Wilson FRAS
Here you'll find a selection of images captured from my back garden.

My target last night (23/04/26) was the Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 101), a vast "grand design" spiral galaxy about 21 mill...
24/04/2026

My target last night (23/04/26) was the Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 101), a vast "grand design" spiral galaxy about 21 million light-years from my back garden. Situated in the constellation Ursa Major (The Great Bear), it appears almost exactly face-on, giving an impressive view of its sprawling spiral arms.

As the nights grow shorter, it's becoming harder to find time for imaging. Last night's target (21/04/26) was Messier 51...
22/04/2026

As the nights grow shorter, it's becoming harder to find time for imaging. Last night's target (21/04/26) was Messier 51a, also called 'The Whirlpool Galaxy.' Situated in the constellation Canes Venatici, M51a is about 31 million light-years from Earth and is made up of roughly 100 billion stars.

NGC 2261 Known as Hubble's Variable Nebula. NGC 2261 is a variable nebula located approx 2500 light years away in the co...
07/04/2026

NGC 2261 Known as Hubble's Variable Nebula. NGC 2261 is a variable nebula located approx 2500 light years away in the constellation Monoceros.

Last night's target was IC 410, popularly known as the Tadpole Nebula, is a dusty emission nebula and active star-formin...
18/03/2026

Last night's target was IC 410, popularly known as the Tadpole Nebula, is a dusty emission nebula and active star-forming region located approximately 12,000 light-years away in the northern constellation of Auriga

My first attempt at planetary imaging with a mono camera and RGB filters.
06/03/2026

My first attempt at planetary imaging with a mono camera and RGB filters.

I've been honing by processing skills. This is a close-up of the centre of the Soul Nebula (IC 1848) that I captured ear...
30/01/2026

I've been honing by processing skills. This is a close-up of the centre of the Soul Nebula (IC 1848) that I captured earlier this month.

I'm not sure about this one, I reprocessed an image of Andromeda that I took last year.
12/01/2026

I'm not sure about this one, I reprocessed an image of Andromeda that I took last year.

Tonight’s imaging target (10/01/25), before snowfall interrupted, was “The Ghost of Cassiopeia,” also known as IC 63. Ca...
10/01/2026

Tonight’s imaging target (10/01/25), before snowfall interrupted, was “The Ghost of Cassiopeia,” also known as IC 63. Captured using narrow band filters and processed with the Hubble Palette, IC 63 is a reflection nebula located approximately 550 light-years away in the Cassiopeia constellation. It is shaped and illuminated by the intense ultraviolet radiation from the nearby blue giant star Gamma Cassiopeiae (Navi).

Here's my latest image of the Pacman Nebula (NGC 281), captured with a monochrome camera and 6nm Ha, Oiii, and Sii filte...
06/01/2026

Here's my latest image of the Pacman Nebula (NGC 281), captured with a monochrome camera and 6nm Ha, Oiii, and Sii filters. This emission nebula in Cassiopeia is about 9,200 light-years away, and the photo highlights its dark, mouth-like dust shape against glowing hydrogen.

I reprocessed the Heart Nebula (IC 1805) to bring out more detail and noticed what appears to be a small blue galaxy or...
05/01/2026

I reprocessed the Heart Nebula (IC 1805) to bring out more detail and noticed what appears to be a small blue galaxy or planetary nebula in the top right corner.

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