Astronomy Picture of the Day: 30.01.2026

Object Name: The Angel Nebula (NGC 2170)

Copyright: Carlos Taylor

Location: Ashby Backyard Observatory

Connect: https://www.instagram.com/capastrophotography/

Skill level: Intermediate

Image Title

NGC 2170, often called the Angel Nebula.

Artists' statement

NGC 2170, often called the Angel Nebula, is a stunningly complex region of gas and dust located approximately 2,400 to 2,700 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros (the Unicorn). It serves as a premier example of a "cosmic canvas," featuring a rare intersection of reflection, emission, and dark nebulae within the massive Monoceros R2 star-forming region.

How This Image Was Captured

Gear used

Skywatcher 10" f4 Newtonian 250P

Skywatcher F4 Aplanatic Coma Corrector

Skywatcher EQ6 Pro

ZWO ASI2600MM Pro Cooled Camera

Starpoint Australis SP3 EAF

ZWO Camera Angle Adjuster

ZWO ASI290MM Mini Guide Camera

William Optics 50mm Uniguide scope

ZWO Electronic Filter Wheel

Antlia Pro 3nm 36mm unmounted filters

Exposure details

88 x 300s Ha and 246 x 300s LRGB subs shot at 0C for a total integration time of about 27.5 hrs.

Processing notes

Data acquisition software: NINA Astronomy Software, Starpoint Australis Control Panel

Processing software: PixInsight and Photoshop CC

Exploring NGC 2170

NGC 2170, often called the Angel Nebula, is a reflection nebula in the constellation Monoceros about 2,400 light years from Earth, embedded within the Monoceros R2 molecular cloud, an active region of star formation. Unlike emission nebulae, it does not produce its own light. Instead, fine dust grains scatter and reflect light from nearby young stellar objects, with shorter blue wavelengths scattering most efficiently through Rayleigh and Mie scattering. Dark filaments running through the nebula trace dense, cold pockets of gas and dust, typically only a few tens of kelvin, where gravity is quietly assembling future stars while radiation and stellar winds slowly sculpt the surrounding cloud.

The angel like shape is not a physical structure but a chance alignment of dust density, illumination, and viewing angle. The light we see has been reflected rather than created there, originating in young stars and bouncing off ancient dust formed in earlier generations of stellar death. The dark lanes are not empty but rich with hidden potential, and the visible glow is not creation itself but revelation. NGC 2170 is a temporary arrangement of dust and borrowed light, a calm and reflective moment within a turbulent stellar nursery that will eventually disperse, leaving only stars behind and the angel as a memory.

Behind the Selection

This image demonstrates a strong balance between scientific fidelity and visual impact. The colour rendering is well controlled, with the bright reflection nebula preserved without saturation while still revealing fine internal structure. Fainter H-alpha emission regions are clearly present and thoughtfully restrained, providing context and depth rather than dominating the frame.

Dynamic range is handled particularly well. Dark dust lanes are cleanly separated from the surrounding nebulosity, giving a clear sense of three-dimensional structure within the molecular cloud. Star colours remain natural and varied, with no obvious clipping or excessive processing artefacts.

Compositionally, the image guides the eye effectively from the brighter illuminated regions into the more diffuse surrounding nebulosity, maintaining interest across the full field. Overall, this is a technically sound and aesthetically coherent image that clearly communicates multiple physical processes in a single region.