Lookout Mountain Observatory

05/20/2026

Today is the day!!!!

Come join us! Bring a friend!

05/19/2026

Come see what we are all about!

Come join us! Bring a friend!

05/18/2026

Photo Credit: Avery Lindsay
Location: Arboles, CO/Early Summer

The Eagle Nebula (M16) is a massive star-forming region in the constellation Serpens, famous for its "Pillars of Creation," towering columns of gas and dust where new stars are born.

Located about 7,000 light-years away, it's an active stellar nursery sculpted by intense ultraviolet radiation from hot, young stars within its central cluster, NGC 6611. The nebula is a popular target for astronomers, with iconic images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope revealing the intricate details of these stellar nurseries.

Key features:
Pillars of Creation: These iconic, finger-like structures are made of cold gas and dust, with newborn stars forming inside dense knots called EGGs (Evaporating Gaseous Globules).

Star formation: The nebula is a hotbed of stellar birth, with thousands of young stars forming within the gas and dust clouds.

Sculpting by radiation: Intense radiation and stellar winds from the hot, young stars in the central cluster carve out cavities and shape the pillars.

Location: It lies in the Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way galaxy.

Visibility: Visible in both hemispheres, it's a rewarding target for amateur astronomers, though the pillars themselves are best seen in astrophotography.

Naming and discovery

Name: Named for its eagle-like shape in wide-field images, though some have called it the "Star Queen" nebula.

Designations: Also known as Messier 16 (M16) and NGC 6611 (for the star cluster).

Discovery: Discovered in 1745 by Jean-Philippe Loys de Chéseaux, and later cataloged by Charles Messier.

05/18/2026

Photo Credit: Avery Lindsay
Location: Arboles, CO/Early Summer

Barnard's Loop and the Cigar Galaxy are two distinct, fascinating deep-sky objects. Barnard's Loop is a massive, glowing emission nebula located in our own galaxy, while the Cigar Galaxy is a highly active, distant starburst galaxy.

1. Barnard's Loop

What it is: A massive, glowing crescent-shaped emission nebula that wraps around the center of the Orion constellation.

Details: It is a huge bubble of ionized hydrogen gas, roughly 10 to 20 degrees across in the night sky, spanning hundreds of light-years.

Location & Distance: Located roughly 1,400 to 1,600 light-years away within the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex.

Origin: Astronomers believe it was formed by a massive supernova explosion that ripped through the region millions of years ago.

Viewing: It is incredibly dim visually. While it can sometimes be spotted in pristine dark skies using large binoculars and nebula filters, it is primarily a target for astrophotographers who use specialized Hydrogen-alpha filters and hours of exposure time to capture its faint pink-red glow.

2. The Cigar Galaxy (Messier 82 / M82)

What it is: A bright, elongated "starburst" galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear).

Details: It is undergoing an explosive frenzy of star birth—producing stars roughly 10 times faster than the entire Milky Way.

Location & Distance: Located about 12 million light-years away, often imaged right alongside the spiral galaxy M81 (Bode's Galaxy).

Origin: Its intense star-making activity was triggered by a close gravitational encounter with M81 millions of years ago.

Viewing: It gets its name "Cigar" from its elongated, tapered appearance when viewed edge-on from Earth. It is easily visible in amateur telescopes, and astrophotographers often capture dramatic reddish plumes of hydrogen gas bursting from its center.

You can read more about the cosmic wind driving the star formation in the Cigar Galaxy on NASA Science.

05/12/2026

Come join us! Bring a friend!

05/11/2026

Needle Galaxy/NGC 4565
Photo Credit: Avery Lindsay

NGC 4565, also known as the Needle Galaxy, is a famous edge-on spiral galaxy located about 40 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices, notable for its narrow, sliver-like appearance due to its orientation to Earth. It features a bright central bulge and a prominent dark dust lane bisecting its thin galactic disk.

Avery’s been on a quest for this one for a LONG time!

05/05/2026

M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy
Photo credit: Avery Lindsay

The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) is a famous, interacting grand-design spiral galaxy known for its prominent, well-defined spiral arms, which are enhanced by gravitational interaction with a smaller companion galaxy (M51b). Located in the constellation Canes Venatici, it's a popular target for astronomers, featuring bright blue star clusters and glowing hydrogen gas in its arms, indicating active star formation. Its structure is so clear that it was the first galaxy in which a spiral structure was observed, discovered by Lord Rosse in 1845.

04/20/2026

Photo Credit: Avery Lindsay
Fall-Spring/IC1805 The Heart Nebula

The Heart Nebula (IC 1805) is a large emission nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia, about 7,500 light-years away, known for its heart-like shape formed by glowing hydrogen gas and dust sculpted by stellar winds from young stars in its core cluster, Melotte 15. It's a stellar nursery, often photographed alongside the nearby Soul Nebula (IC 1848) as a "Heart and Soul" duo, and is a popular target for astrophotographers due to its vibrant colors and complex structures.

04/18/2026

The weather cooperated, and it was a good night. Thanks to all who came out! Cheers, to clear skies! Also, shout out Ashley Dalton for the new fire pit! It is much appreciated!

04/17/2026

We are happy to confirm the wind is already laying down and the skies are incredibly clear!!!