Best deep-sky photos for March 2023: Nebulae and more

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeremy Likness captured this image from Monroe, Washington. Jeremy wrote: “On March 27, 2023, at 20:53 PT, the International Space Station (ISS) passed between the Heart (IC 1805) and Soul (Westerhout 5) nebulae. I captured the transit from my backyard with a 3-minute exposure at 336mm then superimposed it on previous observations of the nebulae. If you look closely, you can see the faint separation in the middle of its track caused by the gap between the solar panels.” Thank you, Jeremy! See more of the best deep-sky photos from March below.

Best deep-sky photos from our readers

The EarthSky community has many talented astrophotographers who capture stunning images of the deep sky. With that in mind, enjoy this gallery of some of the best deep-sky photos we receive. Have a great image of your own to share? Send it to us!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Eliot Herman using a remote telescope in Chile captured Ceres transiting galaxy M100 across its outer arm on March 26, 2023. Eliot wrote: “As a comparatively bright object, Ceres mimicked a bright supernova, making for a great photo opportunity.” Thank you!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Ahmad Al Iqabi in Alkut, Wasit, Iraq, captured this telescopic view of the Rosette Nebula in Monoceros on March 17, 2023. Thank you, Ahmad!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeremy Likness in Monroe, Washington, captured this telescopic view of the Horsehead Nebula in Orion on March 16, 2022. He wrote: “Even before I began taking photographs of space, the Horsehead Nebula was an iconic and hauntingly beautiful reminder to me of how vast and amazing space is. I still remember the sheer delight I felt the first time I was able to capture this with my own equipment. Orion is spending less time in the sky, but I managed to sneak in a few hours over several nights to create this image of IC 434 and the bluish NGC 2023.” Thank you, Jeremy!

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Even more great deep-sky photos

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | David Hoskin in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, captured this telescopic view of two star clusters in the constellation Puppis on March 12, 2023. He wrote: “Messier 46 (left) and Messier 47 (right) are open star clusters located in the constellation Puppis. Messier 46 is about 5,000 light-years from Earth and over 250 million years old. A small planetary nebula, NGC 2438, is visible near the top center of Messier 46. Messier 47 is closer (1,600 light-years) and younger (78 million years) than Messier 46. There are about 500 stars in each cluster.” Thank you, David!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jelieta Walinski in Why, Arizona, captured this telescopic view of the area surrounding the galaxy Messier 101 on March 7, 2023. She wrote: “This photo is a 2-night combination. I took it with the present waxing gibbous moon. I could do it for one night, but clouds showed up and I need to stop. The second night the same thing happened. When nature is not cooperating so much, then all you need is to pack things up and hunker down.” Thank you, Jelieta!

Bottom line: Enjoy this gallery of the best deep-sky photos for March from our EarthSky community. If you have a great photo to share, send it in!

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