Welcome to our world of photography of the day and night skies from the Birch Mesa Observatory in Payson at the base of the Mogollon Rim, and the Clear Creek Canyon Observatory on top of the Colorado Plateau in Northern Arizona. From Wide Angle Lenses, to state-of-the-art computer controlled large homebuilt astrographs, our goal is to record the endless beauty of the night sky on CCD,CMOS, and DSLR digital detectors to share with you and others. Here you can find the best and hardest earned images that we have captured of the night sky.

Updated: 2/13/25

Latest 2025 Images Down Below this Category breakout table!

 


      

 Galaxies


      

Comets Archive


      
 
Az Aurora


      
 
Dark Nebula


      

Southern Hemisphere
Astroimages







      

Open Clusters


      

 Emission


      

 Reflection


      

 Planetaries 


      

 Globulars



      

Enhanced Hydrogen
 Galaxies Showcase


      

Daytime Time
Solar Imaging


      

 Digital Aurora Cam


      
 
 
10" f/3.9 GSO
Astrograph


      

DSLR Imaging



      

Clear Creek 
Canyon Observatory
(Happy Jack, Az)


      

 Birch Mesa Observatory
(Payson, Az) 
  


      

Amateur Telescope Making
Projects - ATM


      

Downloadable
.STL files









 Note:
      Adjust your monitors brightness so each step in the grey scale
      below is clearly seen, other wise images may not appear correctly
      rendered.


Latest 2025 Images:

 






      

Barnard 150, NGC6946,
NGC6939 in Cepheus
2/15/25



      

M46-M47 collimation
final test image
2/7/25


      

NGC1499 - Ultra Deep
California Nebula
2/5/25


      

LBN437- Gecko Nebula
in Lacerta
1/29/25


      

First shot with RASA11
Zeta Orionis
1/22/25


      

Comet Atlas G3
Daylight shots show
it rounding the Sun
1/20/25







      

M38 region
1/19/25


      

Comet Atlas G3
at 3days past perihelion
1/16/25


      

Comet Atlas G3
at 2days past perihelion
1/15/25


      

Comet Atlas G3
at 1 day past perihelion
1/14/25


      

Comet Atlas G3 
at Perihelion
1/13/25



      

Comet Atlas G3
in broad daylight near
the Sun
1/12/25


      

Comet Atlas G3
very low in Morning!
1/11/25


      

M45 with RASA
1/7/25


      

Sharpless 2-72 in Aquilla
1/2/25


      

Payson Aurora
1/2/25




 2024 Images:

 


      

Avanti-Hunter 1
12/26/24


      

First Test Shot with 
new ASI6200MM
12/22/24



      

Sh2-101 the Tulip
Nebula in Cygnus
12/18/24


      

Sh2-129 in Cepheus
12/15/24


      

Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
"Last Shot 2" ?
12/6/24


      

Sh2-88 in Cygnus
12/5/24


      

My youngest moon yet!
12/1/24







      

IC1396 - Wide field
Cepheus Nebulosites
11/30/24


      

IC1319- The Butterfly
Nebula in Cygnus
11/21/24


      

M24-M17 with
Samyang 135mm
11/16/24


      

DWB111 - Propeller
Nebula in Cygnus
11/06/24


      

Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
"Last Shot" ?
10/31/24



      

NGC253
Rectified
11/1/24


      

Sh2-119 in Cygnus
10/24/24


      

Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
4 panel panorama
10/20/24


      

IC1318-gamma Cyg
with Samyang 135 f/2
10/17/24


      

Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
10/13/24
with 35mm lens







      

Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
10/14/24 with
135 Samyang


      

Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
10/13/24 with
RASA 8


      

Payson Aurora again
Kp was 8
10/10/24


      

Sh2-54 in Serpens
10/11/24


      

Payson Aurora
10/7/24



      

M6 & Sh2-12
10/6/24


      

Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
in the DAYTIME along
with Venus and Moon.
10/4/24


      

Ultra Thin 1.1% moon
Test for sky conditions
10/3/24


      

Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
10/2/24


      

Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
10/1/24







      

Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
9/27/24


      

Stephensen 1 the
Delta Lyra Cluster
9/30/24


      

Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
Morning Rising Sequence
9/23/24


      

The Scutum Star Cloud
From Happy Jack
9/20/24


      

M8 -  M20
Two Part Panorama with
the 10" from Payson
9/15/24



      

The Handle of the Pipe
Nebula in Ophiuchus
9/10/24


      

Solar post flare loops!
9/1/24


      

Comet Olbers and M64
8/25/24


      

Antares to Rho dust
8/22/24


      

IC4628 The Shrimp
Nebula in Scorpius
8/15/24







      

B72 - Snake with Eggs
in Ophiuchus
8/11/24


      

IC4592
The Blue Horse Head
in Scorpius
8/1/24


      

From Antares to Rho 
Ophiuchi First Samyang
official image 
7/25/24


      

M107 & Sh2-27
in Ophiuchus
7/16/24


      

Sharpless 2-36
Molecular Cloud in
Ophiuchus
7/12/24



      

Comet 13P / Olbers
In the western Sky
7/2/24


      

Comet 
Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
Final shot before Peri
helion.
7/4/24


      

Sharpless 2-1
In Scorpius
6/24/24


      

Mu Cephi with
Surprise IRAS Planetary
Nebula!
6/20/24


      

IC2118 in Eridanus
RASA from Happy Jack
6/11/24







      

Abell 21 in Gemini
with RASA 8 from 
Happy Jack
6/7/24


      

IC443/444 RASA
5/29/24


      

Comet TA
5/27/24
NEW CAMERA!


      

M35 and NGC2158
5/22/24


      

Comet Panstarrs S3
over DWB111 in Cygnus
5/14/24



      

Massive Arizona
Aurora 5/10/24


      

Comet 
Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
5/10/24


      

IC447 region in 
Monoceros
5/8/24


      

Sharpless 2-308
The Dolphin Head nebula
4/24/24


      

Comet Panstarrs S3
over IC1318a in Cygnus
4/29/24







      

Leo I Dwarf Galaxy
4/18/24


      

Comet 
Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
4/13/24


      

Comet Pons/Brooks
4/13/24


      

Comet Pons/Brooks
4/9/24


      

Comet Panstarrs S3
passes C399
3/30/24



      

Comet Pons/Brooks
4/2/24


      

Comet Pons/Brooks
3/29/24


      

NGC2451-77
Double cluster in 
Puppis
3/28/24


      

Abell 31 Planetary neb
in Cancer
3/20/24


      

Sharpless 224 in
Auriga
3/15/24



      

Comet Pons/Brooks
3/1/24


      

Canopus from Payson
2/28/24


      

Double Cluster with new
RASA 8 - Mount Guiding
Test - 2/12/24


      

Comet Pons/Brooks
2/12/24


      

Comet 62P
in Virgo
2/11/24



      

Comet Kushida
2/4/24
six part montage


      

Comet Pons/Brooks
2/4/24


      

M78 in an Ocean of
Hydrogen
1/24/24


      

IC348, B3, B4
1/18/24


      

NGC281 super deep
1/10/24