Paul Bracken
@paulbracken.com
Author, Science Educator, Biotech Worker, Climate Reality Leader, Astrophotographer
Uncover the universe! 🌌 Thanksgiving thanks to my wife Katherine who keeps Bracken Observatory running! To thank supporters worldwide (including Dublin, Ireland!), enjoy 15% OFF all prints. Shop: bracken-observatory.com/discount/THA... (Ends Dec 3) #Astrophotography #DeepSpace #ThanksgivingSale"
November 27, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Uncover the universe! 🌌 Thanksgiving thanks to my wife Katherine who keeps Bracken Observatory running! To thank supporters worldwide (including Dublin, Ireland!), enjoy 15% OFF all prints. Shop: bracken-observatory.com/discount/THA... (Ends Dec 3) #Astrophotography #DeepSpace #ThanksgivingSale"
New product! 🚀 Our 16"x24" Deep Space Wall Displays are live. Choose: vibrant metal (my fav!) or luminous pearl paper. Blog post shows the new 'floating' mount options: bracken-observatory.com/blogs/news/w... #Astrophotography #Astrodon #Space #WallArt
November 2, 2025 at 9:31 PM
New product! 🚀 Our 16"x24" Deep Space Wall Displays are live. Choose: vibrant metal (my fav!) or luminous pearl paper. Blog post shows the new 'floating' mount options: bracken-observatory.com/blogs/news/w... #Astrophotography #Astrodon #Space #WallArt
To celebrate the spooky season!—Get 20% OFF our premium metal prints of the Witch's Broom or the Ghost! These high-gloss prints really make the colors pop and are the perfect, stunning piece for any space-lover's wall.
Offer vanishes Nov 2.
bracken-observatory.com/products/dee...
#astrophotography
Offer vanishes Nov 2.
bracken-observatory.com/products/dee...
#astrophotography
November 2, 2025 at 12:40 AM
To celebrate the spooky season!—Get 20% OFF our premium metal prints of the Witch's Broom or the Ghost! These high-gloss prints really make the colors pop and are the perfect, stunning piece for any space-lover's wall.
Offer vanishes Nov 2.
bracken-observatory.com/products/dee...
#astrophotography
Offer vanishes Nov 2.
bracken-observatory.com/products/dee...
#astrophotography
This image of the Dumbbell Nebula gives us a glimpse of what our Sun may become when it runs out of fuel in the distant future. We're seeing the death throes of an aging star, expelling its outer layers into an expanding shell of debris - its final farewell to the galaxy.
#astronomy
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#astronomy
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September 11, 2025 at 7:46 AM
This image of the Dumbbell Nebula gives us a glimpse of what our Sun may become when it runs out of fuel in the distant future. We're seeing the death throes of an aging star, expelling its outer layers into an expanding shell of debris - its final farewell to the galaxy.
#astronomy
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#astronomy
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We're looking at the tail-end of the witch's broom - part of the Veil Nebula within the larger Cygnus Loop. The shock wave from a supernova explosion provides more than enough energy to ionize the oxygen in the debris, resulting in the lovely blue strands visible here.
#astronomy
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#astronomy
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August 31, 2025 at 10:37 PM
We're looking at the tail-end of the witch's broom - part of the Veil Nebula within the larger Cygnus Loop. The shock wave from a supernova explosion provides more than enough energy to ionize the oxygen in the debris, resulting in the lovely blue strands visible here.
#astronomy
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#astronomy
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This is C7, a spiral galaxy 12 million light years from here. It's a little smaller than our own galaxy, with a diameter of 80,000 light years. Seen from Earth, C7 is tilted at a rather pleasant angle toward us, which I think accentuates its lovely spiral arms.
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August 25, 2025 at 11:12 PM
This is C7, a spiral galaxy 12 million light years from here. It's a little smaller than our own galaxy, with a diameter of 80,000 light years. Seen from Earth, C7 is tilted at a rather pleasant angle toward us, which I think accentuates its lovely spiral arms.
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#astronomy
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My first attempt at f/11 photography with the EdgeHD 14" telescope. Imaging at such a long focal length presented some new challenges, but I think the result is promising. This is a close-up of the Cygnus Wall - an area of star formation within the North American Nebula.
August 25, 2025 at 1:27 AM
My first attempt at f/11 photography with the EdgeHD 14" telescope. Imaging at such a long focal length presented some new challenges, but I think the result is promising. This is a close-up of the Cygnus Wall - an area of star formation within the North American Nebula.
Red dwarf K2-18 may harbor extraterrestrial life. It's the home star of the first habitable-zone planet found to have water along with an atmosphere that shows signs of life. I thought it would be fun to take a picture of it. You'll need to zoom in to see it.
paulbracken.com/product/k2-18/
paulbracken.com/product/k2-18/
July 26, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Red dwarf K2-18 may harbor extraterrestrial life. It's the home star of the first habitable-zone planet found to have water along with an atmosphere that shows signs of life. I thought it would be fun to take a picture of it. You'll need to zoom in to see it.
paulbracken.com/product/k2-18/
paulbracken.com/product/k2-18/
The iconic Horsehead, clearly silhouetted against a beautiful scarlet curtain of ionized hydrogen alpha.
At just 1500 light years, it's quite amenable to being photographed. Requiring minimal processing, it looks like a work of art right out of the gate.
#astronomy
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At just 1500 light years, it's quite amenable to being photographed. Requiring minimal processing, it looks like a work of art right out of the gate.
#astronomy
paulbracken.com
March 7, 2025 at 1:18 AM
The iconic Horsehead, clearly silhouetted against a beautiful scarlet curtain of ionized hydrogen alpha.
At just 1500 light years, it's quite amenable to being photographed. Requiring minimal processing, it looks like a work of art right out of the gate.
#astronomy
paulbracken.com
At just 1500 light years, it's quite amenable to being photographed. Requiring minimal processing, it looks like a work of art right out of the gate.
#astronomy
paulbracken.com
Explosions of the kind that gave birth to this Jellyfish are the means by which atoms are manufactured and distributed into the cosmos - a process essential for the development of planetary systems and the evolution of life. Without these nebulae, we wouldn't exist.
#astronomy
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#astronomy
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March 4, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Explosions of the kind that gave birth to this Jellyfish are the means by which atoms are manufactured and distributed into the cosmos - a process essential for the development of planetary systems and the evolution of life. Without these nebulae, we wouldn't exist.
#astronomy
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#astronomy
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The Fossil Footprint contains a number of massive stars whose UV radiation ionizes the hydrogen clouds making them glow brightly. I especially love the bright yellow walls at the top, formed when gases are compressed by shock waves - real gates of heaven stuff!
#astrophotography
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#astrophotography
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March 2, 2025 at 2:48 AM
The Fossil Footprint contains a number of massive stars whose UV radiation ionizes the hydrogen clouds making them glow brightly. I especially love the bright yellow walls at the top, formed when gases are compressed by shock waves - real gates of heaven stuff!
#astrophotography
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#astrophotography
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The tadpoles swimming in the lower left are areas of dense nebulous material that's been excavated by radiation from the central star cluster. Star formation regions in the Spider (top center) include oval clumps and knotted strands in the surrounding bluish gas clouds.
#astrophotography
#astronomy
#astrophotography
#astronomy
February 25, 2025 at 12:21 AM
The tadpoles swimming in the lower left are areas of dense nebulous material that's been excavated by radiation from the central star cluster. Star formation regions in the Spider (top center) include oval clumps and knotted strands in the surrounding bluish gas clouds.
#astrophotography
#astronomy
#astrophotography
#astronomy
At the suggestion of astronomer Paul Bailey, I added a small batch of 30-sec exposures. This made the core less blown-out, while preserving detail in the darker regions. Whoever said you can't teach an old dog new tricks?
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#astrophotography
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#astrophotography
January 25, 2025 at 8:52 PM
At the suggestion of astronomer Paul Bailey, I added a small batch of 30-sec exposures. This made the core less blown-out, while preserving detail in the darker regions. Whoever said you can't teach an old dog new tricks?
paulbracken.com
#astronomy
#astrophotography
paulbracken.com
#astronomy
#astrophotography
At 1,344 light years away, the Orion Nebula is the closest big star factory to Earth, making it one of the brightest deep space objects in the sky. It can even be seen with the naked eye, as a hazy patch of light surrounding the middle star in Orion's sword.
#astrophotography
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#astrophotography
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January 18, 2025 at 1:19 AM
At 1,344 light years away, the Orion Nebula is the closest big star factory to Earth, making it one of the brightest deep space objects in the sky. It can even be seen with the naked eye, as a hazy patch of light surrounding the middle star in Orion's sword.
#astrophotography
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#astrophotography
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Voyager 1, our small interstellar emissary is now more distant than any other human-made object. It carries this message from President Jimmy Carter.
#JimmyCarter
#JimmyCarter
January 4, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Voyager 1, our small interstellar emissary is now more distant than any other human-made object. It carries this message from President Jimmy Carter.
#JimmyCarter
#JimmyCarter
For my last astronomy post of 2024, I wanted to close out the holiday with something especially festive - and I think this image of the Christmas Tree Cluster fits the bill.
I refrained from making the stars blink on and off.
Happy New Year, everyone!
paulbracken.com
#astrophotography #astronomy
I refrained from making the stars blink on and off.
Happy New Year, everyone!
paulbracken.com
#astrophotography #astronomy
January 1, 2025 at 1:37 AM
For my last astronomy post of 2024, I wanted to close out the holiday with something especially festive - and I think this image of the Christmas Tree Cluster fits the bill.
I refrained from making the stars blink on and off.
Happy New Year, everyone!
paulbracken.com
#astrophotography #astronomy
I refrained from making the stars blink on and off.
Happy New Year, everyone!
paulbracken.com
#astrophotography #astronomy
For my last astronomy post of 2024, I wanted to close out the holiday with something especially festive - and I think this image of the Christmas Tree Cluster fits the bill. The stars in the cluster are very young - only about one or two million years old.
Happy New Year, everyone!
paulbracken.com
Happy New Year, everyone!
paulbracken.com
January 1, 2025 at 1:25 AM
For my last astronomy post of 2024, I wanted to close out the holiday with something especially festive - and I think this image of the Christmas Tree Cluster fits the bill. The stars in the cluster are very young - only about one or two million years old.
Happy New Year, everyone!
paulbracken.com
Happy New Year, everyone!
paulbracken.com
Made myself a molecule today. Sweet!
December 30, 2024 at 12:49 AM
Made myself a molecule today. Sweet!
The dark nebula running up the middle forms the butterfly's body, with the bright wings stretching out to the sides in a sort of teal color. Some lovely star clusters are distributed around the nebula like colorful glistening pearls, and more than a match for any holiday decorations!
paulbracken.com
paulbracken.com
December 23, 2024 at 10:18 PM
The dark nebula running up the middle forms the butterfly's body, with the bright wings stretching out to the sides in a sort of teal color. Some lovely star clusters are distributed around the nebula like colorful glistening pearls, and more than a match for any holiday decorations!
paulbracken.com
paulbracken.com
When I processed this photo, I was surprised to see a lot of wispy web-like filaments throughout the image. It turns out this is a real phenomenon, called the IFN - Integrated Flux Nebula. It's caused by the glow of light from the Milky Way reflecting off tenuous extragalactic strands of dust.
November 29, 2024 at 12:17 AM
When I processed this photo, I was surprised to see a lot of wispy web-like filaments throughout the image. It turns out this is a real phenomenon, called the IFN - Integrated Flux Nebula. It's caused by the glow of light from the Milky Way reflecting off tenuous extragalactic strands of dust.
In Greek mythology this star cluster represents seven sisters – the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Just like the sisters, the stars themselves are siblings, traveling through space together having formed from the same stellar nursery about 100 million years ago.
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November 25, 2024 at 1:09 AM
In Greek mythology this star cluster represents seven sisters – the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Just like the sisters, the stars themselves are siblings, traveling through space together having formed from the same stellar nursery about 100 million years ago.
paulbracken.com/product/the-...
paulbracken.com/product/the-...
At 2.7 million light years away, the Triangulum Galaxy is the most distant object that can be seen without the aid of a telescope. Star forming regions show up in this image as reddish-pink blotches.
paulbracken.com/product/m33-...
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November 25, 2024 at 12:28 AM
At 2.7 million light years away, the Triangulum Galaxy is the most distant object that can be seen without the aid of a telescope. Star forming regions show up in this image as reddish-pink blotches.
paulbracken.com/product/m33-...
paulbracken.com/product/m33-...
Known as the Cygnus Loop, this 12-hour exposure from Bracken Observatory shows the remnants of an explosion so bright that it would have appeared to our distant ancestors, more than 22,000 years ago, as bright in the sky as the planet Venus.
paulbracken.com/product/cygn...
paulbracken.com/product/cygn...
November 25, 2024 at 12:14 AM
Known as the Cygnus Loop, this 12-hour exposure from Bracken Observatory shows the remnants of an explosion so bright that it would have appeared to our distant ancestors, more than 22,000 years ago, as bright in the sky as the planet Venus.
paulbracken.com/product/cygn...
paulbracken.com/product/cygn...