Sh2-126 – the Gecko in Lacerta

Sun, 04 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Tucked away in the small constellation of Lacerta, the Lizard, lies a sprawling cloud of hydrogen listed as number 126 in Stewart Sharpless’s catalogue. Its glow is powered by 10 Lacertae, a hot, bluish O-type star belonging to the young stellar group Lacerta OB1. The star’s energetic ultraviolet light excites the surrounding gas, which in turn shines in the characteristic red of hydrogen. Measurements disagree on how far away the region is; most estimates fall somewhere between roughly 1,200 and 1,800 light-years. The nebula cannot be seen through the eyepiece – only long exposures bring out its structure. The shape at the head of the filaments resembles a gecko, a fitting match for its host constellation. Beyond the red bands, grey veils of dust and dark clouds absorb the light from behind.

Abell 85 — the Garlic Nebula

Sat, 26 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abell 85, also known as CTB 1, is a large supernova remnant (SNR) located in the constellation Cassiopeia. The southern portion of the remnant’s bubble also made it into the Lynds Bright Nebula catalog as LBN 576. Originally catalogued by George Abell as a planetary nebula, it soon became evident that it was in fact an SNR.

In 2017, the citizen science project Einstein@Home — which normally analyzes gravitational-wave data from the LIGO detector — identified a pulsar within Abell 85: PSR J0002+6216, now known as the “Cannonball Pulsar.” Travelling at over 1,100 km/s, it’s one of the fastest-moving pulsars known — fast enough to eventually leave the Milky Way entirely — and it trails a radio tail roughly 13 light-years long behind it.

Askar 80 PHQ on 庭 — a journal

Sh2-126 – the Gecko in Lacerta

Abell 85 — the Garlic Nebula