Fotos by Míguel

06/16/2026

Ah June, your clouds have been relentless. With the shorter nights of June and Summer approaching, like Jerome looking at the Himalyas. I've been picking up hours here and there. Hoping to get some time on the Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543). The clouds are proving to be stubborn, but they finally finally gave in around 11pm.

06/13/2026

My May backyard astrophotography project, Messier 13 (M13) known as the crown jewel in the Constellation of Hercules -

Messier 13: The Great Hercules Cluster – A Jewel of the Night Sky Messier 13, often called the Great Hercules Cluster, is one of the most magnificent and well-known globular clusters visible from E…

06/13/2026

2026 – Missouri – Messier 13 (M13)

Messier 13: The Great Hercules Cluster – A Jewel of the Night Sky Messier 13, often called the Great Hercules Cluster, is one of the most magnificent and well-known globular clusters visible from Earth....

https://fotosgrafiabymiguel.wpcomstaging.com/2026/06/13/2026-missouri-messier-13-m13/

05/31/2026

Messier 13 (M13), commonly known as the Great Hercules Cluster. Located in the Constellation or Hercules, it is broadly recognized as one of the finest globular star cluster in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is a tightly bound, spherical collection of hundreds of thousands of ancient stars orbiting the core of our galaxy.

It is estimated to be around 11.65 billion years old. This means it formed during the early infancy of the universe, long before our Sun.

It sits approximately 22,200 to 25,000 light-years away from Earth.

This cluster is home to an estimated 300, 000 to 500, 000 stars.

Because they are so crowded, stars occasionally crash into each other. This creates rejuvenated, hot blue stars known as "blue stragglers".

If Earth were inside the core of M13, the night sky would be completely ablaze with thousands of stars, making it brighter than daylight with no darkness, say goodbye to your circadian rhythm.

05/31/2026

Messier 13 (M13), commonly known as the Great Hercules Cluster. Located in the Constellation or Hercules, it is broadly recognized as the finest globular star cluster in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is a tightly bound, spherical collection of hundreds of thousands of ancient stars orbiting the core of our galaxy.

It is estimated to be around 11.65 billion years old. This means it formed during the early infancy of the universe, long before our Sun.

It sits approximately 22,200 to 25,000 light-years away from Earth.

Because they are so crowded, stars occasionally crash into each other. This creates rejuvenated, hot blue stars known as "blue stragglers".

If Earth were inside the core of M13, the night sky would be completely ablaze with thousands of stars, making it brighter than daylight with no darkness, say goodbye to your circadian rhythm.

05/31/2026

2026 – Missouri – Messier 101 (M101)

About this Object: Messier 101 Messier 101 (M101), famously known as the Pinwheel Galaxy, is one of the most prominent "grand design" spiral galaxies in the night sky. Located approximately 21 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major, it is celebrated for its stunning face-on orientation and massive scale. Key Characteristics & Features Immense Scale: M101 is a giant compared to our own galaxy, with a diameter of approximately 170,000 to 252,000 light-years—nearly double the width of the Milky Way....

05/25/2026

Unfortunately, clear skies have been elusive for the entire month of May. However, given the clear weather conditions tonight, combined with decent seeing, transparency, and overall stability, I'm taking a chance to image an object on the Messier catalog.

Messier 13 (M13), commonly known as the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, is a massive spherical collection of several hundred thousand stars located roughly 22,000 to 25,000 light-years away from Earth. Widely regarded as the finest globular cluster in the Northern Hemisphere's night sky, M13 spans about 145 to 160 light-years in diameter and shines with an apparent magnitude of 5.8, making it visible to the naked eye under exceptionally dark skies.

M13 packs between 300,000 and 500,000 ancient stars into a tightly bound gravitational ball.

05/12/2026

A clear night, decent seeing/transparency/stability. May's galaxy project, I collected Hydrogen Alpha and Oxygen III a few nights ago. Last night I collected 20 hours of RGB data using filters: Antlia Triband RGB, Antlia Quad and Optolong L-Quad.

Object: Messier 101, data stacked in the ZWO ASIAIR Plus.

I need one more clear night to complete this project.

05/10/2026

2026 – Missouri – Messier 106 (M106)

About this Object: Messier 106 is the largest member of the Canes II Group, a collection of galaxies within the Virgo Supercluster. Its warped disk suggests gravitational interactions with these neighboring galaxies. 1. Physical Profile: Distance: Approximately 23 to 25 million light-years from Earth. Size: Spanning roughly 135,000 light-years in diameter, it is significantly larger than our own Milky Way....

04/24/2026

I recently participated in an online interview with an astronomy magazine, for which I feel honored to have been selected. I'm excited to share insights and details from the interview, highlighting my experiences and perspectives on astronomy. My feature interview can be found on pages 16 to 20.

Online Flipbook created with Publuu Flipbook Maker.