This Week In Astrophotos: Jellyfish Nebula, Northern Lights, Comet 12P Pons-Brooks and More!

This week, dedicated astrophotographers have shared many stunning shots of celestial objects on their social media, from the Milky Way to Comet 12P Pons-Brooks. Each of the best astrophotos is marked by the authors’ special vision —and we gathered them in a fresh collection to increase cosmic beauty.

We bet you’ll want to set each of these photos as wallpaper on your phone so you can admire them as often as possible!

Meteors And Castles

The first image of this week’s best astrophotos collection is a dreamlike Milky Way over a castle. The amazing spectacle of the meteor shower makes this shot look just stunning!

“Pano of the rain of stars of the “Lagrimas de San Lorenzo” of 2023, which occurs in August as every year,” the author commented on Facebook.

Jellyfish Nebula Among The Best Astrophotos

The Jellyfish Nebula is also known as IC 443 or Sharpless 248. It is an amazing emission nebula located in the constellation Gemini. Its ethereal appearance resembles the tendrils of a jellyfish, hence its name.

“The JellyFish Nebula. Captured over two nights, over two months looking at Hydrogen and Oxygen,” the astrophotographer shared on X (former Twitter).

Lion Nebula

“The Lion Nebula Sh2 -132 in Cepheus. Sulpher, Hydrogen and Oxygen in 600s exposures at 550 FL. Durham, England,” – briefly commented on this image astrophotographer on Facebook.

To complete the picture, we will add that the Lion Nebula, also known as Sharpless 132, is a dazzling emission nebula situated in the constellation Cepheus. Its majestic appearance resembles a lion’s mane. This object is characterized by hues of red, orange, and pink, which are the result of ionized hydrogen gas glowing in the radiation from nearby stars.

Heart Nebula Mosaic

“Heart Nebula 2×2 mosaic collab—I shot all the data from my backyard in early October. And @astrofalls did all the processing (while patiently trying to teach me how to edit/process mosaics). I was totally floored by the result he got and had to share it!”—wrote Tom Bock on his X (former Twitter).

And we are also absolutely obsessed with this Nebula photo!

Northern Lights In Lofoten In The Best Astrophotos

“Northern Lights collections over the Arctic skies of Lofoten! The magical Aurora season is almost at an end here in the Arctic because sunshine is taking over from the darkness,” – wrote the author, Giulio Gobianchi, on his Facebook.

Bubble Nebula

“The bubble RCW 79 is in the southern MilkyWay, 17,200 light-years from Earth, in Centaurus,” commented the author on his artwork on X (former Twitter).

The Bubble Nebula is created by the stellar winds and radiation from a massive, hot central star, which sculpt the surrounding gas and dust into a spherical shape.

Milky Way Over Lake Manly

“Lake Manly, formerly occupying the valley of Death Valley NP, stands as a testament to nature’s ever-changing spectacle. After drying up around 10,000 years ago, this ancient lake occasionally reappears, emerging briefly after intense rainfall transforms the arid desert into a temporary lake,” Andrew Warner has written on Facebook.
“I was fortunate enough to be in Death Valley earlier this month and experience Lake Manly, which appeared after heavy rainfall in August. It was surreal to see the water act as a giant mirror and reflect the night sky and surrounding landscape.”

Spaghetti Nebula In This Week’s Best Astrophotos

“Random Plate of Spaghetti Not something you see every day. A closeup of the brightest part of the large Spaghetti Nebula, Sh 2-240 40hrs of Halpha, Oiii and RGB, with a 10” RC and @QHYCCD 268m,” the photographer summed up on X (former Twitter).

Milky Way Over The Forest

“This does not compete with most if not all of the photos on here, but it is my first-ever Astro shoot,” Jarrod Brohier shared on Facebook.

The first photo is already so good – keep it up and stay inspired!

Comet 12P Pons-Brooks Among The Best Astrophotos

“Comet 12P Pons-Brooks is visible to the naked eye from a dark sky location!” The author shared his delight on X (former Twitter).

Thank you to all the astrophotographers for sharing the magic of the space with us!