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Connor Matherne

@cosmic.speck

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Published planetary scientist | Astrophotographer |
DSW Observatory | DM for print availability

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Virtually every speck of light in this image is a galaxy, too many for me to even count. This is the Needle Galaxy, and this image has always been one of my absolute favorites. The data for this image was taken from the @lowellobservatory telescope and graciously shared with me to process. It contains one huge striking galaxy known as the Needle Galaxy, but all the surrounding background galaxies I've never even seen before. Even more so, I couldn't even find their names in databases, I've never seen such an image so rich in background galaxies. So I took a few close ups and made this image swipe able, so feel free to zoom in and look at some of my favorite areas. Which zoom is your favorite? Mine is the second one! Thanks for looking as always 😁 by @cosmic.speck

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6 years ago

Over 100 hours of exposure on the night sky.

Never thought I would see the day where I pass the big 100 in terms of exposure on a single astrophoto. What a milestone! It could not have been done to a more favorite target. This is the Eye of God, also known as the Helix Nebula, or more officially NGC 7293. This was about 2 years in the making, with about 50 hours taken each year. Ever since seeing the silly email chain all those years ago about the Eye of God, I have been in love with astronomy. In a way, this nebula is the one that started my passion for the stars so I had to make sure it was a true stunner, no ordinary photo could do! This nebula is actually a look glimpse at our own future. How you might wonder? Well, it is a planetary nebula, and what happens to most stars when they die if they don't go supernova! It is much less violent, and more so a gentle shedding of gas rather than a big ka-boom. A quick sneak peak at what our very own sun will under go, until it remains as a white dwarf for years to come.

#astronomy #astrophotography #space #science #physics #astrophysics #nature #moon #telescope #NASA #Spacex #cosmos #nebula #galaxy #stars by @cosmic.speck

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5 years ago

Two years ago, I got the chance to collaborate with my favorite lunar photographer @cosmic_background. This year, we decided we wanted to out do our old moon shot with an even better one. This is the highest resolution shot of the moon I have ever taken, I captured the color data while @cosmic_background captured the details. Combined, we ended up with an incredibly detailed photo of our lunar neighbor in stunning color. Swipe to see a few of my favorite regions throughout the area! I always love getting a chance to collaborate with great friends, and I can't wait to see what we come up with next 📸 by @cosmic.speck

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4 years ago

Every Christmas I point my telescope at the night sky, and each year I'm always terrified of what I see. Time to call every astronomer I know and find out what the heck this is.

#astronomy #nasa #santaspotting #space #santa #astrophotography #christmas #fyp #moon by @cosmic.speck

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4 years ago

Amateur vs JWST

While i have been waiting for JWST images for as long as I can remember at this point, I never thought one of its first images would be something I had taken a picture of before. So here is a comparison of me vs the JWST. I don't think I'll be making anywhere near as many discoveries at this rate compared to the JWST. Swipe to see the JWST image for comparison and how small of a region it imaged compared to my full resolution photo. The difference is staggering between the two.

#jameswebb #carina #space #cosmos #astronomy #astrophotography #amateurastronomy #science #astrophysics #nasa taken in New Orleans, Louisiana by @cosmic.speck

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4 years ago

It goes around the universe like la la la.

I love taking pictures of the stars within the universe, here are some of my favorite photos over the years. Make sure to follow @cosmic.speck to join me on my journey through the cosmos 📸

#space #stargazing #milkyway #astrophotography #cosmos #universe #nebula #galaxy #science by @cosmic.speck

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4 years ago

🐈‍⬛ The Cat's Paw Nebula

An explosive star forming nebula near the core of our Milky Way. Over 40 hours of exposure, but that is almost too easy when dealing with a fully automated observatory 😎

#astronomy #astrophotography #science #nasa #nebula #nightscapers #milkyway #space by @cosmic.speck

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4 years ago

The Andromeda Galaxy 📸

Taking a photo of space, and showing what it looks like from start to finish. It's tough to slim down nearly 30 hours of work into 5 seconds, so there are definitely a few steps missing but hopefully this shows just how drastically it changes throughout the process. by @cosmic.speck

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4 years ago

Hello moon, you look different.

The lunar eclipse is a rare event, with this being my third photo of one. Are you watching it? by @cosmic.speck

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4 years ago

The Flaming Star Nebula. A bit of a repetitive name, don't you think? Taken with an RH-305 and SBIG STX 16803. This light bucket of a telescope never fails to record absurd amounts of nebulousity on faint targets such as this one. by @cosmic.speck

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Never thought I'd be on the cover of one of the largest astronomy publications in the world, yet here we are. This eruption captured a black hole eruption in unprecedented detail and is 16 times larger than the moon in the night sky, but in the radio wavelength so it is invisible to our eyes. by @cosmic.speck

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5 years ago