NEBULA Astrophotography

Nebulae are our favorite types of objects. We have imaged several from the NGC and IC catalogs, as well as the Messier Catalog, which contains a total of 12 nebulae.

We recommend spending a minimum of 4 hours on nebulae. Find the darkest skies possible, however, if shooting emission nebulae with a narrowband filter, you can take photos from your backyard.

Below are articles about how we captured a photo. Click on an image to learn more about the object, the gear we used, and the acquisition details.

How Many Types of Nebulae are there?

There are five types of nebulae: Emission, Reflection, Dark (Absorption), Planetary, and Supernova Remnants.

Almost all of the nebulae captured by amateur astrophotographers are found in the Milky Way galaxy. With great equipment and skills, you can also capture these objects.

1) Emission Nebulae

This type of nebulae appears as clouds of ionized gases that emit their own light.

About 90% are mostly made up of Hydrogen gas and so are easier to capture with a Hydrogen Alpha (Ha) filter.

Perhaps the most popular emission nebula is by far M42 (The Orion Nebula). The image above is our all-time favorite: Thor's Helmet.

2) Reflection Nebulae

Reflection Nebulae are the opposite of emission nebulae. Instead of emitting their own light, these are just clouds that reflect the light from nearby stars.

Reflection nebulae are often blue, as seen in the picture above of Messier 78, not far from the Orion Nebula.

Their gases can also be found mixed with gases from emission nebulae.

3) Dark Nebulae

Dark nebulae, also called absorption nebulae, are clouds of interstellar gas that are so thick that light cannot pass or reflect through them.

These are only visible if in front of clusters of stars or colorful nebulae. An example of a dark nebula is Barnard 33 (The Horsehead Nebula) as well as the Cone Nebula pictured above.

4) Planetary Nebulae

This is actually a type of emission nebulae. The term planetary may be confusing as they have nothing to do with planets.

First used by William Herschel to describe the nebulae he spotted which appeared bright and round like the shape of a planet.

Our sun is believed to become a planetary nebula when it dies.

5) Supernova Remnants

Supernova Remnants appear when a large star goes into supernova. This leaves a shockwave of colorful gas that expands outward at incredible speeds.

The first entry in Charles Messier's catalog is the Supernova Remnant of the Crab Nebula (as seen above). Another great example of such an object is the Cygnus Loop, which contains 3 major parts of the Veil Nebula.

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Nebulae Astrophotography Resources

Discover how we photographed the nebulae below by clicking on a post. We explain what our integration time is, the gear we used, and the acquisition details. If you have questions about how to capture nebulae, fill out our contact form.

16 juil. 20203 min de lecture

SH2-188 - La Nébuleuse de la Crevette depuis la ville

Sh2-188 est une nébuleuse planétaire dans Cassiopée. Elle n'a pas de nom officiel mais est souvent appelée la "nébuleuse de la crevette"...