Latest news with #Brecher
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Knife Edge Galaxy cuts a sharp profile in new amateur portrait (photo)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astrophotographer Ronald Brecher captured a striking image of the Knife Edge Galaxy (NGC 5907) during May under a near-full moon from his backyard observatory near the city of Guelph in Canada. The Knife Edge Galaxy is located some 50 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Draco, according to NASA. NGC 5907's spiral form is oriented edge-on to our planet, granting it a sharp, needle-like appearance that has given rise to a number of nicknames, such as the Splinter Galaxy. Brecher's image showcases the bright central core of the Splinter Galaxy shining out from behind the choking dust clouds that thread the grand cosmic structure. Hidden among the star-studded spiral arms is the record-breaking energetic pulsar NGC 5907 ULX, which emits as much energy in a single second as our sun releases in three and a half years. TOP TELESCOPE PICK: Want to see the wonders of the solar system and beyond for yourself? The Celestron NexStar 4SE is great for beginners wanting quality, reliable and quick views of celestial objects. Check out our Celestron NexStar 4SE review for a more detailed breakdown of its features and capabilities. The nearby companion galaxy PGC54419 can also be picked out as a smudge of light in the upper right of the image. "The Splinter Galaxy is one of my favorites," said Brecher in an email to "I've shot it before, but not with the resolution afforded by the C14." It took Brecher a little over 21 hours to image the Knife Edge Galaxy using his Celestron 14" EDGE HD telescope in conjunction with a high-end astronomy camera between May 9-15 earlier this year. Check out Brecher's website for a breakdown of the filters and other peripherals used to capture and edit the cosmic splinter portrait. Stargazers interested in capturing the night sky for themselves should read up on our guides for the best telescope and astrophotography camera deals for 2025. Editor's Note: If you would like to share your deep sky astrophotography with readers, then please send your photo(s), name, location and comments to spacephotos@
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Amateur astrophotographer catches a cosmic sunflower in bloom
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astrophotographer Ronald Brecher has captured a gorgeous view of the 'Sunflower Galaxy' (Messier 63) from his backyard observatory near the city of Guelph in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Brecher's deep-sky portrait reveals incredible detail in the arms of the spiral galaxy, the patterning and structure of which bear a striking resemblance to the head of a cosmic sunflower. M63 can be seen shining with the radiation cast out by a multitude of giant newly-birthed white-blue stars, the light from which travelled for some 27 million light-years to reach Earth, according to NASA. "Poor weather has made imaging a little challenging lately," Brecher told in an email. "I was able to get more than 13 hours on M63 in spite of clouds and the moon." M63 appears to be formed from many fragmented arms arranged around its bright core, as opposed to the well-defined, sweeping structures that characterize 'grand design' spiral galaxies like NGC 3631, or Bode's Galaxy. Brecher imaged the Sunflower Galaxy as the moon progressed towards its first quarter phase on the nights of April 17-28 using his Celestron 14" EDGE HD telescope in conjunction with a monochrome astronomy camera, and a host of helpful peripherals. A little over 13 hours was spent capturing 158 exposures of the galaxy with red, green, blue and hydrogen-alpha filters, the data from which was processed using the astrophoto editing software PixInsight. TOP TELESCOPE PICK: Want to see the wonders of the night sky for yourself? The Celestron NexStar 4SE is ideal for beginners wanting quality, reliable and quick views of celestial objects. For a more in-depth look at our Celestron NexStar 4SE review. May happens to be the best month in which to view the Sunflower Galaxy, which will be visible as a faint smudge of light in smaller telescopes under good viewing conditions. One way to locate the patch of sky containing M63 is to find the bright stars Arcturus, in the constellation Bootes, and Dubhe, which forms the pouring tip of the pan in the 'Big Dipper' asterism. The Sunflower Galaxy can be found half way between the two. Use a stargazing app if you need help finding the stars. Interested in capturing the majesty of the night sky for yourself? If so be sure to check out our guides for the best binocular and telescope deals, along with the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography. Editor's Note: If you are interested in sharing your astrophotography with the readers at please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Amateur astrophotographer captures a stunning galaxy 24 million light-years from Earth (photo)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astrophotographer Ron Brecher has captured a stunning deep sky image of the spiral galaxy M106, located 23.5 million light years away in the constellation Canes Venatici. Brecher imaged the distant galaxy for a little over 32 hours on nights spanning from March 27 to April 17, 2025. The finished portrait reveals the swirling arms of M106 focussed around an active, red-hued galactic core - an active star-forming region that is home to a ravenous supermassive black hole. "M106 is classified as a Seyfert galaxy, meaning it has an active nucleus," explained Brecher in a post showcasing the image on his website. "It's thought that part of the galaxy is falling into a supermassive black hole near the center — it is sort of cannibalizing itself." While M106 is too faint to be spotted in the night sky with the naked eye, it is an excellent target to view with a small telescope, though as noted by NASA, a larger telescope would be needed to resolve fine details. To find M106 in the northern hemisphere, stargazers need only locate the Big Dipper asterism of Ursa Major, and use a stargazing app to find the bright star Alkaid, and dimmer Psi Ursae Majoris. M106 can be found around the half way point between these two stellar giants. TOP TELESCOPE PICK: Want to see galaxies in the night sky? The Celestron NexStar 4SE is ideal for beginners wanting quality, reliable and quick views of celestial objects. For a more in-depth look at our Celestron NexStar 4SE review. But M106 isn't the only galaxy in this image. "The other prominent galaxy, at the lower left, is NGC 4248," continued Brecher. "It also shows pink nebulae. There are many more galaxies in this image. Look for fuzzy patches and needle-like structures that look different from the sharp, round stars." Brecher wrote on his website that he never believed that he would get into astrophotography, but became captivated by the pursuit after buying a 4.5-inch reflector telescope for his son, and watching the night sky while soothing his then newborn daughter. His first forays into imaging the night sky saw Brecher capture the moon by holding a 'point and shoot' camera up to the eyepiece of his Celestron Ultima 200 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. He has since experimented with numerous cameras, mounts, scopes and software to image cosmic objects ranging from Earth's moon, to monstrous deep sky galaxies. Brecher's latest portrait of Messier 106 was captured from his home outside the Canadian city of Guelph using a Celestron 14" Edge HD telescope situated in a SkyShed enclosure - which, as the name suggests, is a purpose-built shed with a removable roof. Brecher processed the images he captured using a series of red, green, blue, and hydrogen-alpha filters with his CMOS QHY600M astronomy camera, before processing the resulting data using PixInsight software. If you're looking for a telescope or binoculars to observe galaxies like M106, our guides for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals now can help. Our guides on the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can also help you prepare to capture the next skywatching sight. Editor's note: If you want to share your astronomy photographs with our readers at please email it to spacephotos@
