Stargazer Snaps Amazing Photo of Deep Space Oasis

Jeffrey O. Johnson took this photo of dwarf barred irregular galaxy, NGC 4214 on Feb. 13 and March 14, 2013 from Las Cruces, New Mexico. He used a Takahashi TOA-130F at f/7.7 telescope, Takahashi EM200 Temma II mount, QSI 540wsg @ -15C camera, Astrodon Tru-Balance I-Series LRGB Gen 2 filters and SX Lodestar guider. Credit: Jeffrey O. Johnson View full size image

Dwarf barred irregular galaxy, NGC 4214, appears like a dazzling pool of water in deep space in this beautiful night sky photo.  

Astrophotographer Jeffrey O. Johnson took this photo between Feb. 13 and March 14, from Las Cruces, New Mexico. He used a Takahashi TOA-130F at f/7.7 telescope, Takahashi EM200 Temma II mount, QSI 540wsg @ -15C camera, Astrodon Tru-Balance I-Series LRGB Gen 2 filters and SX Lodestar guider.

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Located approximately 10 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici, NGC 4214 is a dwarf barred spiral galaxy. This star-forming galaxy has faint, older star clusters as well as young, bright stars surrounded by clouds of gas and dust. This indicates NGC 4214 has experienced star formation for more than billions of years. A heart-shaped cavity lies at the center of the galaxy possibly caused by radiation from newborn stars.

Editor's note: If you have an amazing night sky photo you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, please contact managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

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