Running Man Nebula Captured by Online Space Camera

Running Man Nebula by Slooh Member Larkin
Astrophotographer Dave Larkin captured this image of the Running Man Nebula, also known as NGC 1977, using the Slooh Space Camera, which is an online night sky observing service that allows users to view the sky using telescopes around the world. (Image credit: Slooh Space Camera)

The Running Man nebula sprints into the spotlight in this spectacular night sky photo.

Astrophotographer Dave Larkin took this image in November 2012 from his home in Australia using the Slooh Space Camera's robotic 20-inch telescope located on the Canary Islands off the northwest coast of Africa. The Slooh Space Camera is an online night sky observing service that allows users to view the sky using telescopes around the world.

"What makes images so special from Slooh is the fact that I am in Australia using an online robotic telescope on the other side of the globe live from the Northern Hemisphere, and to also be able to process the data from the camera into an image from the comfort of my living room is just awesome," Larkin said in an email.

The Running Man nebula, also known as NGC 1977, is located in the Orion constellation and lies roughly 1,500 light years from Earth. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, or about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion kilometers).

Larkin produced this image using data called Fits Files, which are the raw data straight from the CCD camera attached to the Canary Islands telescope. Larkin aligned, stacked and processed the Fits Files with imaging software on his computer.

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Contributing Writer and Producer

Nina Sen is a freelance writer and producer who covered night sky photography and astronomy for Space.com. She began writing and producing content for Space.com in 2011 with a focus on story and image production, as well as amazing space photos captured by NASA telescopes and other missions. Her work also includes coverage of amazing images by astrophotographers that showcase the night sky's beauty.