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Orion Nebula (Messier 42)
The Orion Nebula is a diffuse nebula situated south of Orion's Belt. It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. M42 is located at a distance of 1,270±76 light years and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. The M42 nebula is estimated to be 24 light years across. This photograph was taken on February 25, 2009 by Robert Fontaine at Kitt Peak National Observatory during an Advanced Observation Program hosted by Kevin Bays, using a Takahashi 106-mm f/5 refractor and a combination of eight 10 second stacked exposures taken at ISO-1600 with a Cannon 5D digital camera.

 Global Cluster (Messier 3)
The Messier 3 is a globular cluster in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764, and resolved into stars by William Herschel around 1784. This cluster is one of the largest and brightest, and is made up of around 500,000 stars. It is located at a distance of about 33,900 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 6.2. This photograph was taken on February 25, 2009 by Robert Fontaine at Kitt Peak National Observatory during an Advanced Observation Program hosted by Kevin Bays, using a Takahashi 106-mm f/5 refractor and a 10 minute exposure taken at ISO-1600 with a Cannon 5D digital camera.

Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 101)
The Pinwheel Galaxy is a face-on spiral galaxy about 27 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. M101 was discovered by Pierre Méchain on March 27, 1781, and he subsequently communicated his discovery to Charles Messier who verified its position and added it to the Messier Catalogue as one of the final entries. This photograph was taken on February 25, 2009 by Robert Fontaine at Kitt Peak National Observatory during an Advanced Observation Program hosted by Kevin Bays, using a Takahashi 106-mm f/5 refractor and a 10 minute exposure taken at ISO-1600 with a Cannon 5D digital camera.

Comet Lulin N3 (Lulin)
Comet Lulin is a non-periodic comet. It was discovered by Ye Quanzhi and Lin Chi-Sheng from Lulin Observatory. The Comet's green color comes from a combination of gases that make up its local atmosphere, primarily cyanogen and diatomic carbon, which both appear as a green glow when illuminated by sunlight in the vacuum of space. This photograph was taken on February 25, 2009 by Robert Fontaine at Kitt Peak National Observatory during an Advanced Observation Program hosted by Kevin Bays, using a Takahashi 106-mm f/5 refractor and a 2 minute exposure taken at ISO-800 with a Cannon 5D digital camera.

Bode's Galaxy (Messier 81) and Cigar Galaxy (Messier 82)
Bode's Galaxy is a spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major and is one of the most striking examples of a grand design spiral galaxy, with near perfect arms spiraling into the very center. The Cigar Galaxy is the prototype nearby starburst galaxy about 12 million light-years away. This photograph was taken on February 25, 2009 by Robert Fontaine at Kitt Peak National Observatory during an Advanced Observation Program hosted by Kevin Bays, using a Takahashi 106-mm f/5 refractor and a 3 minute exposure taken at ISO-1600 with a Cannon 5D digital camera.

Needle Galaxy (NGC 4565)
NGC 4565 is viewed edge-on spiral galaxy from Earth. Also known as the Needle Galaxy for its narrow profile, and it lies in the faint but well-groomed constellation Coma Berenices. This sharp color image reveals the galaxy's bulging central core dominated by light from a population of older, yellowish stars. The core is dramatically cut by obscuring dust lanes which lace NGC 4565's thin galactic plane. This photograph was taken on February 25, 2009 by Robert Fontaine at Kitt Peak National Observatory during an Advanced Observation Program hosted by Kevin Bays, using a Takahashi 106-mm f/5 refractor and a 3 minute exposure taken at ISO-1600 with a Cannon 5D digital camera.

Ghost of Jupiter (NGC 3242)
NGC 3242 is most frequently called the Ghost of Jupiter or Jupiter's Ghost.  It is really a is a planetary nebula that is located in the constellation Hydra, at a distance of 1400 light-years from earth and has an apparent magnitude of 8.6.  This photograph was taken on February 25, 2009 by Robert Fontaine at Kitt Peak National Observatory during an Advanced Observation Program hosted by Kevin Bays, using a Takahashi 106-mm f/5 refractor and a 3 minute exposure taken at ISO-1600 with a Cannon 5D digital camera.

Swan Nebula (Messier 17)
The Swan Nebula is an H II region in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1745. M17 is between 5,000 and 6,000 light-years from Earth and it spans some 15 light-years in diameter. The cloud of interstellar matter of which this nebula is a part is roughly 40 light-years in diameter.  This photograph was taken on February 25, 2009 by Robert Fontaine at Kitt Peak National Observatory during an Advanced Observation Program hosted by Kevin Bays, using a Takahashi 106-mm f/5 refractor and a 3 minute exposure taken at ISO-1600 with a Cannon 5D digital camera.

Planet Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. The planet Saturn is composed of hydrogen, with small proportions of helium and trace elements.  Saturn has a prominent system of rings, consisting mostly of ice particles with a smaller amount of rocky debris and dust.  Sixty-one known moons orbit the planet including Titan, Saturn's largest and is the only moon in the Solar System to possess a significant atmosphere.  This photograph is a still image taken on February 25, 2009 by Robert Fontaine at Kitt Peak National Observatory during an Advanced Observation Program hosted by Kevin Bays, using a Deep Space Color CCD video camera mounted to a Takahashi 106-mm f/5 refractor.

© 2009 R. Fontaine