Gilbert Photography

Fall colors struggle against the fresh snow. So far this was one of my favorite trips in the PNW so far.

Most people try to find a way to avoid winter but this is probably my favorite season now living near the Cascades. Winter in the mountains is quite magical versus my memories of winter in the Midwest (cold, windy and no snow).

Here is the Eagle Nebula (M16). A cloud a dust and gas 55 x 70 light years in size and roughly 7000 light years away from us. This massive cloud is pumping out new stars and a particularly busy area is the set of pillars in the center.

These are known as the pillars of life. The largest pillar is approximately 4 light years long. To get a better sense of scale, imagine the Earth is a razor blades thickness (0.009 inches) then the pillar would be 417.6 miles long (longer than the width of Oregon).

Do you prefer stars or no stars???

This image was created over several nights with multiple hours of exposure using Ha and Oiii filters. ( Ha = Red, Oiii = Blue, Green is a synthetic blend of Ha and Oiii.)

My first attempt at imaging M31 - the Andromeda Galaxy. The nearest large galaxy to us, it contains approximately 1 trillion stars or about twice as many as our Milky Way.

I need more imaging data and some more practice editing but I have plenty of time to practice for now.