Sky Candy With Good News

I really wonder if the names of nebulae would make more sense if we saw the original photograph that was used when it was named.

Here’s our capture of NGC 7023 – the Iris Nebula 🌌.
Located about 1,300 light-years away in Cepheus, the Iris glows as starlight reflects off cosmic dust, illuminating the surrounding dark interstellar clouds.

🔭 What do you see when you look into the Iris?#Astrophotography pic.twitter.com/KnzMLnqp1X

— Daydream Astro🌍🌈⃤ (@DaydreamAstro) August 27, 2025

The Orion Nebula is always good for some pictures.

Just 1 Hour — stunning shot of M42🔭

Christian De Stefano captured the Orion Nebula (M42) with Seestar S50 using Mosaic Mode, revealing even its stunning lower part. 🌌✨#Seestar #Astrophotography #SmartTelescope #Stargazing #ZWO #S50 #OrionNebula #M42 pic.twitter.com/6K7I7x3mZt

— Seestar (@Seestar_astro) August 28, 2025

Dark nebulae have fascinated me since I was a kid, when my dad pointed out the Coalsack. Oddly, the Coalsack is in the Southern Cross and not visible from 40°N where we were, but I wasn't going to argue.

'A Dark Veil in Ophiuchus'
Image Credit & Copyright: Katelyn Beecrofthttps://t.co/iiueiQxwz8
#space #astronomy pic.twitter.com/SZc3cHaspm

— Swetilein (@Swetilein1) August 29, 2025

So that's where they went!

𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗩𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗵𝗼 𝗢𝗽𝗵𝗶𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗶 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 💫

📷 I.Garrofé, J.Puche, A.Roig pic.twitter.com/8hNGGi3hNp

— Aleix Roig (@astrocatinfo) August 28, 2025

Now, I'd never heard of a "cometary globule," so I asked my research assistant:

A cometary globule is a small, dense cloud of gas and dust in star-forming regions, characterized by a compact, bright head and a comet-like tail formed by the erosion of material due to intense radiation or stellar winds from nearby massive stars. Typically spanning a fraction to a few light-years, these molecular clouds are potential stellar nurseries where new stars may form in the dense head. Found in H II regions or near young stars, they are shaped by ultraviolet radiation, which compresses the head and sweeps less dense material into a tail pointing away from the radiation source. Observed primarily in infrared or radio wavelengths due to dust obscuring visible light, examples like CG 4 in the Gum Nebula highlight their distinctive structure and role in star formation.

AstroBin's Image of the Day: "Cometary Globules in Puppis" by John Dziubahttps://t.co/4fmSANr2VW#astrophotography pic.twitter.com/5m6X1JzEpg

— AstroBin.com (@AstroBin_com) August 28, 2025

This is another interesting one. We tend to think of supernovae as one big, bad badda-boom, but they're apparently more complicated than that.

The star that exploded to become the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant appears to have undergone a dramatic event right before its demise. New evidence from Chandra indicates that the star's interior was violently rearranged just hours before the explosion: https://t.co/oRUQuulAaX pic.twitter.com/wLROfwcHkM

— Chandra Observatory (@chandraxray) August 28, 2025

Another sexy galaxy.

NGC1567 The Spanish dancer Spiral galaxy in The Dorado constellatión by Hubble telescope #NASA pic.twitter.com/qwnKvg79f7

— Julio Maiz (@maiz_julio) August 28, 2025

Another ornamental one.

The Necklace Nebula (PN G054.2-03.4) is a stunning, very unique planetary nebula located about 15,000 light years from Earth in the northern constellation of Sagitta. The glowing remains of a giant Sun-like star, the object was discovered as recently as 2005. 📷 JWST #PNG0542034 pic.twitter.com/jplsQcB4KS

— Lee-Anne Gibbon (@LeeAnneGibbon1) August 23, 2025

Galaxies need full hands-free driving.

Galactic collisions reshape the cosmos. 🌌✨

Look at NGC 2623 — what you’re seeing is the late stage of a galactic merger. Its cores have fused into one, while two long tidal tails shine with newborn stars. Over 100 bright star clusters illuminate its lower tail. pic.twitter.com/cMSe4y4qvA

— Cosmopilot (@SpAcE_LoVeR1) August 27, 2025

Well, okay, one more.

A striking Webb Telescope portrait: spiral galaxy NGC 2090, 40 million light-years out. Its true spiral arms and bustling regions of star birth are showcased in exceptional detail.

(Credit: SA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Leroy) pic.twitter.com/afQZXOyZUh

— World and Science (@WorldAndScience) August 26, 2025

Related: Sky Candy: Space Is Really Cool

And a little fun with computers.

Mesmerizing path and movement of a planet inside a Three Body Star System pic.twitter.com/0zGDdpW2Z5

— Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) August 29, 2025

Special starship edition, with its own soundtrack.

As I'm sure you've already heard, SpaceX had a pretty successful Starship test with Starship 10. Even if they missed my birthday, harrumph.

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not.

Watch @ElonMusk and @Boca_Bill_R discuss SpaceX’s mission pic.twitter.com/ijGIkpzRT8

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 26, 2025

It sort of fascinates me that the Starship's rocket exhaust is basically lavender and almost transparent.

Ship 37's Vapor Cones, as it passes through Max-Q and breaks through the sound barrier pic.twitter.com/XlH1WBKjih

— JUSTIN ROTH (@jroth304) August 27, 2025

Really spectacular. Yeah, I know, but it's hard to think of something new to say.

I can't believe this footage I got. Unreal things happening with this launch

I need to start packing for my flight home but it's so hard to pull away! I still have 3 more memory cards to sort through

I was going to release a print today but it might have to wait til tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/H3M2akS7nz

— Andrew McCarthy (@AJamesMcCarthy) August 27, 2025

That's some camera.

Liftoff of Super Heavy, the most powerful launch vehicle in history, on Starship’s tenth flight test pic.twitter.com/dnQQAqKWUf

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 27, 2025

Here's the whole trip in 6 minutes.

And here's the splashdown.

And that's it for this week. Come back next week, please comment, and I've been a bad boy about keeping The Stars Our Destination up, but there will be more today.