Genesis 1:14–19

Day Four

A personal record of the fourth day creations of planets, galaxies, nebulae, and deep-sky wonders revealed through long nights under God's heavens.

Astrophotography

Light gathered over time.

Each image represents hours beneath the night sky, followed by careful calibration and processing. This gallery records both the wonder overhead and the equipment and techniques used to bring these distant objects into view.

Galaxy · Ursa Major

M101 — The Pinwheel Galaxy

My view of M101, a large, face-on spiral galaxy approximately 21 million light-years away in Ursa Major—the constellation commonly known as the Big Dipper. It is roughly twice the size of the Milky Way and is estimated to contain about a trillion stars.

Exposure: 130 × 10 minutes
Total integration: 21 hours, 40 minutes
Telescope: Explore Scientific FCD100 127mm Triplet Refractor
Reducer: 0.7× focal reducer
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Filters: None
Processing: PixInsight

Galaxy · Triangulum

M33 — The Triangulum Galaxy

My view of M33, the Triangulum Galaxy—one of the largest galaxies in our Local Group. It spans more than 60,000 light-years and contains tens of billions of stars.

Exposure: 339 × 5 minutes
Total integration: 28 hours, 15 minutes
Telescope: Explore Scientific ED127 Triplet Refractor
Reducer: 0.7× focal reducer
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Filter: L-Quad Enhance
Processing: PixInsight

Galaxy · Canes Venatici

M51 — The Whirlpool Galaxy

My wide-field view of the Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51a or NGC 5194. This interacting grand-design spiral galaxy lies about 31 million light-years away, with several more distant galaxies visible across the surrounding field.

Capture window: Approximately 1:00–5:00 a.m.
Approximate session: 4 hours
Telescope: 80mm refractor
Galaxy type: Interacting grand-design spiral
Active nucleus: Seyfert 2
Distance: Approximately 31 million light-years
Location: Perkins, Oklahoma

Moon · 2025

Waxing Crescent Moon

My finished view of the waxing crescent Moon, captured on the evening of September 26, 2025. The low-angle sunlight brings the craters and ridges along the lunar terminator into sharp relief.

Telescope: Explore Scientific ED127 Triplet Refractor
Reducer: Explore Scientific 3-inch field flattener / 0.7× focal reducer
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Exposure: 16.99 milliseconds
Frames: 2,319
Gain: 69
Capture: 3008 × 3008 · RAW8 · bin 1
Filter: 2-inch L-Quad Enhance

Finished composite of the March 13–14, 2025 lunar eclipse photographed by Jeremiah Smith — Select the image to view it full size without leaving the page.

Lunar eclipse · 2025

March 2025 Lunar Eclipse

My finished view of the March 13–14, 2025 lunar eclipse, presenting the Moon’s changing appearance through the eclipse with totality at the center.

Event: Lunar eclipse
Date: March 13–14, 2025
Subject: Earth’s Moon
Project: Finished eclipse composite

The December 2025 Supermoon photographed by Jeremiah Smith — Select the image to view it full size without leaving the page.

Moon · 2025

The Final Supermoon of 2025

Captured on December 4, this was the final Supermoon of 2025. It appeared approximately 7.9% larger and 15% brighter than a typical full Moon.

Telescope: Celestron NexStar 8SE
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Gain: 100
Exposure: 2 milliseconds
Temperature: −0.5°C
Frames: 4
Subframes: 4,000

Orion Nebula and Running Man Nebula photographed by Jeremiah Smith — Select the image to view it full size without leaving the page.

Nebulae · Orion

M42 — Orion and the Running Man

The Orion Nebula is a bright diffuse nebula about 1,344 light-years away and approximately 24 light-years across. The Running Man Nebula, SH2-279, appears above M42 in this finished image.

Exposure set 1: 88 × 2 minutes
Exposure set 2: 10 × 3 minutes
Exposure set 3: 60 × 5 minutes
Total integration: 8 hours, 26 minutes
Distance: Approximately 1,344 light-years

Horsehead and Flame Nebulae near Alnitak photographed by Jeremiah Smith — Select the image to view it full size without leaving the page.

Nebulae · Orion

SH2-277 — Horsehead and Flame Nebulae

A finished view of the region surrounding Alnitak, the easternmost star in Orion’s Belt, containing NGC 2024—the Flame Nebula—and Barnard 33—the Horsehead Nebula.

Exposure: 589 subframes
Total integration: 19.6 hours
Telescope: Svbony SV503 80ED
Reducer: Svbony SV193 0.8× field flattener
Mount: Celestron AVX
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Filter: L-Quad Enhance
Location: Perkins, Oklahoma

Galaxy · Andromeda

M31 — The Andromeda Galaxy

The nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way, this barred spiral spans about 152,000 light-years and lies approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth.

Total integration: 5 hours
Capture: September 7–8, 2024
Telescope: Svbony SV503 80ED
Reducer: Svbony SV193 0.8× field flattener
Mount: Celestron AVX
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Filter: L-Quad Enhance
Processing: PixInsight

Star cluster · Taurus

M45 — The Pleiades

Also known as the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades is a star cluster in Taurus. Its hot stars illuminate surrounding dust, creating the ethereal blue reflection nebulae visible throughout the field.

Exposure: 208 subframes
Total integration: 5.2 hours
Telescope: Svbony SV503 80ED
Reducer: Svbony SV193 0.8× field flattener
Mount: Celestron AVX
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Filter: L-Quad Enhance
Location: Perkins, Oklahoma

Emission nebula · Cassiopeia

NGC 7635 — The Bubble Nebula

The Bubble Nebula is an H II emission region in Cassiopeia. Its central star drives a powerful stellar wind that forms the luminous bubble against the surrounding molecular cloud.

Exposure: 91 × 2 minutes
Total integration: 3 hours, 2 minutes
Telescope: Svbony SV503 80ED
Reducer: Svbony SV193 0.8× field flattener
Mount: Celestron AVX
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Filter: L-Quad Enhance

Galaxy · Camelopardalis

NGC 2403

A spiral galaxy in Camelopardalis approximately 8 million light-years from Earth and about 50,000 light-years in diameter.

Total integration: More than 8 hours
Distance: Approximately 8 million light-years
Diameter: Approximately 50,000 light-years
Captured: May 2024

The Rosette Nebula photographed by Jeremiah Smith — Select the image to view it full size without leaving the page.

Nebula · Monoceros

Caldwell 49 — The Rosette Nebula

The Rosette Nebula lies near one end of a giant molecular cloud in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way.

Exposure: 30-second subframes
Total integration: 1.9 hours
Captured: January 2024

Supernova remnant · Taurus

M1 — The Crab Nebula

A finished four-hour view of Messier 1, the Crab Nebula, surrounded by the dense winter star field of Taurus.

Total integration: 4 hours
Catalog: Messier 1
Object type: Supernova remnant
Captured: 2024

The Bear Claw dwarf galaxy photographed by Jeremiah Smith — Select the image to view it full size without leaving the page.

Dwarf galaxy · Lynx

NGC 2537 — The Bear Claw Galaxy

The aptly named Bear Claw is a compact dwarf galaxy in the constellation Lynx.

Total integration: Just over 1 hour
Location: Perkins, Oklahoma
Captured: 2024

Galaxy · Ursa Major

M81 — Bode’s Galaxy

A finished view of the grand-design spiral galaxy M81, commonly known as Bode’s Galaxy.

Exposure: Approximately 400 subframes
Captured: February 17, 2024
Location: Perkins, Oklahoma

M96 in Leo photographed by Jeremiah Smith — Select the image to view it full size without leaving the page.

Galaxy · Leo

M96

M96 is a galaxy in Leo located approximately 31 million light-years away.

Total integration: 98 minutes
Distance: Approximately 31 million light-years
Captured: 2024

NGC 7331 and the Deer Lick galaxy group photographed by Jeremiah Smith — Select the image to view it full size without leaving the page.

Galaxy group · Pegasus

NGC 7331 and the Deer Lick Group

A wide field centered on NGC 7331 and the Deer Lick Group, showing at least five galaxies amid a richly populated star field.

Subject: NGC 7331 and companion galaxies
Captured: December 5, 2023
Visible galaxies: At least five

The September 2024 partial lunar eclipse photographed by Jeremiah Smith — Select the image to view it full size without leaving the page.

Eclipse · Moon

Partial Lunar Eclipse — September 2024

Earth’s shadow crosses the lunar surface during the partial lunar eclipse of September 17, 2024.

Event: Partial lunar eclipse
Captured: September 17, 2024
Subject: Earth’s Moon

The Sun with several visible sunspot groups photographed by Jeremiah Smith — Select the image to view it full size without leaving the page.

Star · Solar system

The Sun and Its Sunspots

A finished solar portrait showing multiple dark sunspot groups spread across the visible disk of our nearest star.

Captured: May 18, 2024
Subject: The Sun
Feature: Multiple sunspot groups

A detailed four-panel mosaic of the Moon photographed by Jeremiah Smith — Select the image to view it full size without leaving the page.

Mosaic · Moon

Four-Panel Lunar Mosaic

Four separately stacked views were assembled into one detailed portrait of the waxing gibbous Moon.

Capture: 4 panels × 1,100 frames
Total frames: 4,400
Captured: March 22, 2024 at 9:47 p.m.
Processing: PixInsight
Mosaic assembly: Adobe Photoshop 2024

Jupiter with Europa and its transit shadow photographed by Jeremiah Smith — Select the image to view it full size without leaving the page.

Planet · Jupiter

Europa Transits Jupiter

Jupiter’s cloud bands fill the frame while Europa and the moon’s small transit shadow appear near the planet’s limb.

Event: Europa transit
Captured: November 3, 2023 at 10:25 p.m.
Location: Perkins, Oklahoma

Full Moon · Lunar detail

July 2023 Full Moon

A full-disk lunar portrait capturing the Moon’s maria, bright ray systems, and densely cratered southern highlands.

Captured: July 2, 2023
Telescope: Celestron NexStar 8SE
Camera: ZWO ASI385MC
Reducer: Celestron f/6.3 Reducer Corrector
Mount: Celestron CEL-91203
Exposure: 346 microseconds
Filter: None
Stacking: ASIVideoStack 1.9 Live Deep Stack
Finishing: Adobe Photoshop CS6
Location: Perkins, Oklahoma

A detailed 12,000-frame mosaic of the Moon photographed by Jeremiah Smith — Select the image to view it full size without leaving the page.