Best deep-sky photos of May 2023

skay mai 28, 2023

A large, spherical cluster containing thousands of bright stars. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Karl Diefenderfer in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, captured this wonderful telescopic view of Messier 92 on May 11. This object is a globular star cluster, a tightly packed, symmetrical collection of stars – orbiting in the extended stellar halo surrounding our Milky Way – containing some of our galaxy’s oldest stars. Karl wrote: “After nearly 3 weeks of clouds and rain, I was able to image Messier 92 in the constellation Hercules.” Thank you, Karl. Clear skies to you! See more of May’s best deep-sky photos 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 have received. Have a great image of your own to share? Send it to us. We love to see them!

Sadr Star Region

Best deep-sky photos: Huge swirls of yellowish and bluis nebulosity over a background of distant stars. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Kurtis Markham in Alexandria, Virginia, captured this telescopic view of the Sadr Star Region in Cygnus on May 8, 2023. Kurtis wrote: “This region contains nearby popular deep-sky objects like the Butterfly Nebula and the Crescent Nebula.” Thank you, Kurtis!

Large clouds of red-colored gas over a multitude of distant stars. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Andy Dungan near Cotopaxi, Colorado, used a telephoto lens to capture this image of the Sadr Star Region in Cygnus on May 25, 2023. Andy wrote: “Cygnus is full of fun stuff to shoot. I had no idea how large the area surrounding the central star of Cygnus (Sadr or Gamma Cygni) was. The large area around Sadr is identified as the Sadr Region or the Butterfly Nebula, IC 1318. This was shot at 300mm. At some point I am going to have to zoom in the Crescent Nebula, NGC 6888 (far right center), for a closer shot of that. I would also like to figure out how to bring the reds out more. What fun.” Thank you, Andy!

More beautiful nebulae

Large area of yellow, red and blue nebulosity with dark lanes, over a background of faint stars. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Martin Curran in Cheyenne, Wyoming, used a telephoto lens to capture this beautiful nebula on May 16, 2023. Martin wrote: “This is the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula (IC 1396A) in Cepheus.” Truly a magnificent shot. Thank you, Martin!

Clouds of red- and blue-colored gas over a multitude of distant stars. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohammed Abdallah in Suez City, Egypt, used a telephoto lens to capture this view of the Lagoon and Trifid nebulae in Sagittarius on May 13, 2023. Mohammed wrote: “The Lagoon and Trifid nebulae, stating that summer is coming. Back in 2019, when I started my astrophotography journey, I was intrigued by this target. I shot it in a 1-second snap and I wasn’t quite sure if it was the Lagoon Nebula or not. Now, in 2023, I’m happy about the results I have reached. Photo is taken from a Bortle 8 sky, Suez City, Egypt.” Great results, considering the extent of light pollution in the area. Thank you, Mohammed!

Clouds of red- and blue-colored gas over a multitude of distant stars. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeremy Likness in Monroe, Washington, used a telephoto lens to capture this view of the Lagoon and Trifid nebulae in Sagittarius on May 11, 2023. Jeremy wrote: “While imaging the Trifid Nebula (M20), I mounted my Sony Mirrorless 6300 on the top of the Celestron EdgeHD 9.25-inch telescope. From 30-second exposures, I pieced together the surroundings, including the nearby oases of the Lagoon Nebula (M8).” Thank you, Jeremy!

Best deep-sky photos of external galaxies

A pair of small nebulous objects over a sparse background of stars. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohammed Abdallah in Suez City, Egypt, used a telephoto lens to capture this view of the galaxy duo Messier 81 and Messier 82 in the constellation Ursa Major, on May 25, 2023. Mohammed wrote: “Bode M81 and Cigar M82 galaxies from Bortle 8 skies, Suez City, Egypt. About 6 hours of data with a very low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) due to difficult weather and sky conditions, but the end result is satisfactory.” Thank you, Mohammed!

A dozen small, whitish, nebulous patches over a field of foreground stars. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohammed Abdallah in Suez City, Egypt, used a large telephoto lens to capture this deep-sky view of Markarian’s Chain of galaxies in the constellation Virgo, on May 22, 2023. Mohammed wrote: “Markarian’s Chain. Shot taken over several nights in the last couple of weeks from Suez City, Egypt, during very bad weather and tough shooting conditions. I’m happy I could shoot it the 1st time and get such a good look at the galactic dance.” Thank you, Mohammed!

Large, yellowish spiral nebula with a dozen bright foreground stars. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeremy Likness in Monroe, Washington, captured this telescopic view of Messier 63 on May 17, 2023. Jeremy wrote: “Hundreds of billions of stars are believed to call Messier Catalog item number 63 home. Its distinct shape and texture have earned it the name, Sunflower Galaxy.” Thank you, Jeremy!

Supernovae in distant galaxies

Grayish white swirl made of haziness and stars with small yellow arrowhead pointing at 1 clump. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Our friend Eliot Herman used the Utah Remote Desert Observatories to capture this image of the new supernova in Messier 101 – the Pinwheel Galaxy – just hours after its discovery on May 19, 2023. See the bright spot by the yellow arrowhead? This is the closest supernova to us in more than a decade. Eliot commented: “There will be many weeks to watch this one evolve.” Thank you, Eliot! Read more about Supernova 2023ixf, and watch a video photo gallery.

Two grayish spirals together with foreground stars, and with small arrowhead pointing at a star. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | The headline-making supernova in M101 wasn’t the only supernova Eliot Herman imaged in May. Using a remote telescope in Río Hurtado, Chile, from Tucson, Arizona, Eliot made this image on May 15, 2023. He wrote: “Supernova 2023idj in galaxy NGC 4568. This is a type II supernova discovered on May 14, 2023, by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae. Magnitude 15.4 on this date. The pair of interacting galaxies makes for a nice composition.” Thank you, Eliot!

A grayish spiral with a bright star and fainter foreground stars, plus a small yellow arrowhead. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | And Eliot Herman captured a 3rd supernova in May. For this one, he also used a remote telescope in Río Hurtado, Chile, from Tucson, Arizona. Eliot wrote: “Supernova 2023gfo in galaxy NGC 4995 makes for a nice composition. The supernova was discovered on April 20, 2023, and is a type II. I captured the supernova over April 23 to May 7, 2023.” Thank you, Eliot!

Bottom line: Enjoy this gallery of the best deep-sky photos of May 2023 from our EarthSky community. If you have a great photo to share, send it in. We love to see them!

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