The Glorious Milky Way from a dark sky site in Norfolk

 

The Milky Way 'photo-bombed' by three Perseid Meteors with the Andromeda Galaxy in the far distance (top left) - Un-modded Canon 600d DSLR with Sigma EX widefield lens on a fixed tripod- Image credit: Kurt Thrust

"Each year, Kurt looks forward to capturing his first widefield image of the spectacular summer Milky Way. This year he was fortunate enough to experience a clear night at Gresham in North Norfolk with a spectacular dark sky. Whilst out and about that night Kurt observed a number of faint but naked eye visible meteors" - Joel Cairo CEO of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Observations on the above image by G. Gemini coms manager at the JPO

This wide-field deep-sky photograph captures a dense section of the galactic plane of the Milky Way, centred along the dust lanes and rich star fields of the Summer Triangle region (spanning Cygnus, Aquila, and Lyra).

The Galactic Plane & Interstellar Medium

Running diagonally through the frame is the prominent, luminous swath of our galaxy’s spiral arm structure. The bright golden and warm orange glow consists of resolved and unresolved background stellar populations within the galactic disk. Interspersed throughout this region are dark nebulae—obscuring interstellar dust clouds composed of microscopic carbon and silicate grains that absorb and scatter visual wavelength light from the dense star fields lying directly behind them (notably forming parts of the Great Rift complex).

Emission & Dust Regions

Surrounding the primary galactic core structure are delicate reddish and deep magenta hues, indicating Hα (Hydrogen-alpha) ionized gas regions (H II regions) where intense ultraviolet radiation from hot, young stars energizes the surrounding interstellar gas.

Here are the key nebulous regions displayed in the photograph of the  Milky Way:

1. North America Nebula (NGC 7000): This is the prominent, diffuse reddish-orange glowing structure located in the upper-right section of your image. Its characteristic shape, resembling the continent (specifically the Gulf of Mexico), is sculpted by a thick, intervening dark dust lane. This massive $H\text{ II}$ region is one of the brightest emission nebulas visible, glowing as hydrogen gas is ionized by nearby hot stars.

2. Pelican Nebula (IC 5070): Located immediately adjacent to the North America Nebula, and separated from it by the primary dark molecular cloud, is the Pelican Nebula. While visually part of the same complex, it appears as a distinct lobe, and in this wide-field view, it forms the upper portion of the large glowing mass containing NGC 7000.

3. Sadr Region (IC 1318 / Gamma Cygni Nebula): Running centrally through the densest part of the Milky Way core in your frame is the complex around the star Sadr. The large, spread-out glow in the lower-right section is IC 1318, also known as the Gamma Cygni Nebula. This vast emission complex is heavily fragmented by dark dust lanes (the Great Rift), defining multiple lobes including the Butterfly Nebula (near the centre) and the Cygnus Star Cloud itself, which dominates the lower-right bright region.

4. The Great Rift (and dark nebulae): Although not a glowing nebula, the Great Rift is essential for defining the visible structures. The large, black channel running diagonally down the centre of the image, dramatically separating the bright star fields on the right from the sparser ones on the left, is composed of dense, opaque interstellar dust that obscures the light from the background stars. Numerous individual "dark nebulae" are catalogued within this feature.

By recognizing these major formations, we can better appreciate the complex interplay of gas, dust, and stars in this extraordinarily rich section of our galaxy.

Transient Phenomena (Meteors)

In the lower-left quadrant of the frame, three parallel, highly linear light trails cut across the background star field:

Perseid / Delta Aquariid Activity: Late July marks the onset of the Perseid meteor shower, operating concurrently with the Southern δ-Aquariids peak. These crisp streaks represent meteoroids—small remnants of cometary dust (such as 109P/Swift-Tuttle for the Perseids)—entering Earth's upper mesosphere at velocities between 40 km/s and 60 km/s.

Atmospheric Ablation: The resulting friction superheats the surrounding atmospheric gas, creating brief, highly ionized plasma columns that appear as precise linear streaks against the background sky.

Stellar Dynamics

Across the frame, a distinct colour gradient highlights stellar spectral classes: bright blue stars indicate hotter, high-mass main-sequence objects (spectral types O and B), while yellow and reddish points denote cooler main-sequence stars and red giants (spectral types K and M).

The stars of the Summer Triangle asterism

The stars of the Summer Triangle: Deneb, Vega and Altair.
All images and spectroscopy captured and processed
by Kurt Thrust at the Jodrell Plank Observatory

" Kurt asked our visiting astrophysicist, Professor G.P.T Chat, to provide some features to look for in the above spectral line profiles and the stellar physics behind them". - Joel Cairo CEO of the JPO.

" An asterism is a recognizable pattern of bright stars in the sky. It may be formed from some of the brighter stars in a constellation, for example the Plough, which includes some of the stars of Ursa Major the Great Bear or a recognizable pattern of bright stars from several constellations, as is demonstrated by the Summer Triangle,which is comprised from the three alpha stars Deneb (Cygnus), Vega (Lyra) and Altair (Aquila). - Karl Segin outreach officer at the JPO.

Big picture

All three are A-type, blue-white stars, so they share strong hydrogen Balmer absorption and relatively sparse molecular features.

They differ mainly in luminosity class and rotation, which change how those same lines look: Deneb is a supergiant (Ia), Vega a near-textbook A0 main-sequence star (V), and Altair a late-A dwarf (A7 V) and extreme rapid rotator.

Where they sit on the HR diagram

Star Spectral type Luminosity class Evolutionary state

Deneb (α Cyg) ~A2 Ia (luminous supergiant) Massive star evolving off the main sequence; on its way through/around the supergiant phases

Vega (α Lyr) A0 V (dwarf) Middle-age main-sequence star, H-burning

Altair (α Aql) A7 V (dwarf) Main-sequence star; very fast rotator (oblate, gravity-darkened)

What your low-res spectra should show

Hydrogen Balmer lines (Hα, Hβ, Hγ, …)

Strongest near A0 → Vega should show the deepest Balmer absorption.

Altair (A7): Balmer lines still strong, but shallower than Vega; metal lines begin to stand out more.

Deneb (A2 Ia): Balmer lines are strong but shaped by low surface gravity—you may notice broad wings with comparatively narrow cores, and in some epochs wind effects (subtle emission infilling or weak P-Cygni signatures in Hα) even at low resolution.

Metal lines (Ca II K at 393.3 nm, Mg II ~448.1 nm, Fe II blends)

Altair: As the latest-type of the three, it should show relatively stronger metal lines than Vega.

Vega: Cleaner A0 spectrum—metals present but less prominent than in Altair; it’s also a mild metallicity-peculiar standard, so don’t be surprised if some metal features look a tad weaker than “textbook.”

Deneb: Despite being only slightly later than Vega by type, the supergiant’s low gravity enhances certain ionized metal lines (e.g., Fe II, Si II) and can make them more conspicuous than in Vega.

Line widths & shapes

Altair rotates extremely fast (period ~9–10 h), so its absorption lines are noticeably broadened even at low resolution.

Vega is also a rapid rotator but seen nearly pole-on, so its projected line broadening is modest—lines look crisper than Altair’s.

Deneb has low gravity and stellar winds; expect less rotational broadening, but broader Balmer wings and occasional wind-affected Hα profiles.

Continuum slope & reddening

Deneb is thousands of light-years away; interstellar reddening can tilt its continuum redward compared with nearby Vega (25 ly) and Altair (17 ly). If the data reduction didn’t fully de-redden Deneb, its spectrum may look slightly warmer/redder than its type alone would suggest.

Physical contrasts that drive those spectral looks

Temperature (rough): Vega ~9,600 K (hottest), Deneb ~8,500 K, Altair ~7,500 K on average (equator cooler than poles from gravity darkening).

⇒ Explains: Vega’s strongest Balmer, Altair’s stronger metal lines, Deneb’s A-type look despite being a supergiant.

Surface gravity (log g): Deneb is very low (supergiant), Vega/Altair are higher (dwarfs).

⇒ Low gravity in Deneb = narrower cores, extended Balmer wings, and stronger ionized metal lines than you’d expect for a dwarf at similar temperature.

Rotation: Altair’s v sin i is huge → rotational broadening across many lines; Vega rotates fast intrinsically but looks sharper because we see it nearly pole-on; Deneb’s spectrum is dominated more by wind + low gravity than rotation.

Luminosity & radius: Deneb is enormously luminous (hundreds of thousands L☉) with a radius of hundreds of R☉; Vega (~40 L☉, ~2.4 R☉) and Altair (~10–12 L☉, ~1.7–2 R☉) are compact by comparison.

⇒ Deneb’s wind features and low-g line morphologies vs. the neat, pressure-broadened dwarf lines in Vega/Altair.

Environments: Vega hosts a well-known debris disk (you won’t see the disk in the spectrum, but it’s part of its story). Altair doesn’t show a comparable far-IR excess. Deneb has a stellar wind and slight α Cygni-type variability, which can subtly change Hα over time.

Quick “at a glance” checklist for the spectral profiles

Deepest Balmer lines? → Vega (A0 V).

Broadened lines overall? → Altair (rapid rotation).

Balmer wings + possible Hα infill, stronger Fe II/Si II for an A-star? → Deneb (A-supergiant, wind + low gravity).

More prominent Ca II K & other metal lines vs Vega? → Altair (later A-type).

Continuum looks a bit redder than expected? → Likely Deneb (distance + interstellar reddening

The Cygnus Rift

Pip Stakkert really pushed the data obtained last week with our un-modded and modded Canon DSLR cameras. The Cygnus rift created by obscuring dust is flanked and pierced by glowing emission radiation from ionised gas.

" The Milky Way runs through the constellation Cygnus and diagonally through the Summer Triangle asterism created by the alpha stars Deneb, Vega and Altair. The small constellation Delphinus the dolphin can be seen to the left and above the star Altair. The 'Coathanger' asterism otherwise known as Brocchi's Cluster or Collinder 399 is an open star cluster which may be seen in the above image to the right and above Altair. This cluster of approximately 10 stars presents in the shape of a coat hanger and can be seen in a pair of low power binoculars". -Joel Cairo CEO of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

The Summer Triangle August 2023

 

The Summer Triangle created by stars Deneb, Vega and Altair. Compilation image captured with  un-modded and astro-modded Canon DSLRs. The lens used was an Sigma EX zoom widefield lens at f=14mm. 10x2minute RAW lights were captured with each camera at ISO800 which were mounted o a Star Adventurer EQ mount. The lights were stacked using Affinity Photo2 and combined using Registar software. The final image is a square crop of the much wider view shown below. 

" It is very nice to return home from Italy and get stuck into some serious astro-imaging. The other night we were blessed with an hour or two of clear, stable moonlight free night sky. Pipp Stakkert and I spared no time in setting up the Observatory 'mini-rig' and we managed to capture 40 minutes of photons from the Milky Way and the bright stars Deneb, Vega and Altair which make up the asterism 'The Summer Triangle'." - Kurt Thrust current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

The Blue-White Supergiant Star Deneb

 

The Blue-White Super-Giant star in the Constellation Cygnus the Swan - Data captured at the Jodrell Plank Observatory in summer 2021 - Credit Pip Stakkert

"Pip has used our new Affinity Photo software to process this data to create an image that reflects the large dynamic range afforded by this extremely bright and distant star seen within the nebulous band of the Milky Way. Deneb is; very bright with a luminosity up to 200,000 times that of the Sun, more than 2500 light years distant from Earth and has a diameter over 200 times that of the Sun. It is a Super Giant in every way and can be seen with the naked eye!

 If you look closely at the image you can see the very many dark dust clouds or dark nebulae that abound within the disc of the Milky Way"  - Joel Cairo CEO of the Jodrell Plank Observatory

Summer nights have arrived at last

 

The Summer Triangle - Canon 600d on Star Adventurer MountStack of 2 minute lights at .f=18mm and ISO 1600. Cropped from a widefield image.; Credit: Pip Stakkert.
 

" The weather took a turn for the better, so the whole Jodrell Plank Observatory team spent  Friday evening taking snaps of the starry Universe. All the summer favourites were on display including the asterism, 'The Summer Triangle'. An asterism is a pattern of stars that is readily visible and identifiable. For example, The Plough is an asterism made from the brighter stars in the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear. The Summer Triangle is very obvious in the northern hemisphere summer sky and has the alpha stars from three separate constellations. Deneb from Cygnus the Swan, Vega from the Lyre  and Altair from Aquila the Eagle. These three prominent stars are bright and clearly visible to the naked eye as soon as darkness falls. So why not go out and see if you can identify them?". - Kurt Thrust current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

The Veil Nebula with Meteor- Canon 600d on Star Adventurer Mount

            Stack of 2 minute lights at .f=90mm and ISO 1600. Credit: Pip Stakkert.                                                  

                                           Plate Solving by Astrometry Net

"Between 10 and 20 thousand years ago a star twenty times more massive than our Sun ran out of fusible elements and exploded in a massive core collapse supernova. The Veil Nebula is the remnant cloud of ionised gas and dust that has expanded over time to cover an area of the sky some thirty-six times the area of the Moon. This area is based upon a recent estimate of its distance from the Earth of 2400 light years. It is calculated that the nebula is expanding at 1.5 million kilometers per hour! The Veil Nebula was first discovered in 1784 by the astronomer William Herschel.

The attractive open star cluster NGC 6490 can be seen in our image and to the right of the Veil. NGC 6490 is in the adjoining constellation Vulpecula the Fox. The cluster is a billion years old and approximately 2500 light years distant.

Whilst  we were imaging this area of sky we noticed a number of meteors one of which is visible in our image of the Veil and to its left. For some days, The LVST radio telescope has been recording increasing numbers of meteor radar reflections. We await the Perseid Shower with added excitement, as this year, visibility will not be limited by moonlight. Let's keep our fingers crossed for good weather on the 12th and 13th of August and an excellent display!"  -  Joel Cairo CEO of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Perseids August 2020

Meteor shooting between Vega and Deneb at 1:00 BST on the 11th August 2020.
Canon 600d DSLR with EOS 18-55mm lens at f=18mm - all on a Star Adventurer equatorial mount.  50 x 1 minute RAW exposures stacked using DeepSkyStacker and the frame containing the meteor aligned and combined with the stacked image using Registar. The final image was cropped and enhanced. Credit: Joel Cairo

" Having recently joined the team at the Jodrell Plank Observatory, I was pleased that I was able to take a short summer holiday before taking up my full duties as CEO. During my stay by the sea in Bamburgh Northumberland, I managed to do a bit of astro-imaging between the clouds which seemed to materialize each evening as night fell. I was very lucky to have captured a Perseid meteor against the stars of the summer Milky Way two days before the predicted shower maximum". - Joel Cairo CEO of the Jodrell Plank Observatory

Stars and a comet

Comet W2 AFRICANO in the constellation Andromeda - Altair Astro Lightwave 66mm. Doublet Refractor with 0.6x focal reducer and field flattener and Canon 600d DSLR all on a Star Adventurer equatorial mount. Crop of a stack of 15x60sec lights at ISO1600. Credit: Kurt Thrust

The blue-white supergiant star alpha cygni otherwise known as Deneb.This star forms one of the vertices of the 'Summer Triangle' asterism. Altair Astro Lightwave 66mm. Doublet Refractor with 0.6x focal reducer and field flattener and Canon 600d DSLR all on a Star Adventurer equatorial mount. Crop of a stack of 40x60sec lights at ISO1600. Credit: Pip Stakkert.

" We have been trying to spot and image Comet W2 AFRICANO for some time without any success. With the Moon a late riser on Saturday night, we managed to capture it in the constellation Andromeda close to the bright stars delta and epsilon Andromeda. The comet is moving south quite quickly through Andromeda towards the constellation Pisces. This faint comet is showing a coma and a short tail".
- Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

"Deneb is a spectacular star. It is very bright, very large and  very distant from our Solar System at 2,600 light years. Deneb has a mass approximately 19 times that of the Sun. It has such a large size that if it was to replace our Sun its outer surface would reach as far as the orbit of Earth". 
- Archie Mendes - visiting theoretical astronomer at the Jodrell Plank Observatory - Reydon University - 'School of Computer Modelling and Difficult Sums' 

" We are saddened to report that our friend and colleague Archie Mendes has been refused permanent UK residency. He will be missed at the Jodrell Plank Observatory. We will not see his like, wit and intelligence again, certainly not locally!". 
- Ivor Hump Chair of the Jodrell Plank Observatory Board of Trustees. 

The Summer Triangle

The Asterism - 'The Summer Triangle'- Canon 600d DSLR with EOS 18-55mm lens at f=18mm - mounted on a Star Adventurer Equatorial mount.(stacked images) - credit Kurt Thrust

"An asterism is a word used to describe a pattern of stars visually recognisable from the Earth. An 'asterism' although similar to a 'constellation' differs in that a 'constellation' is an officially recognised area of the sky. asterisms come in all shapes and sizes from small to large. The 'Summer Triangle' is a very large asterism,  a triangular pattern of three 'alpha stars' taken from three separate constellations:  Deneb from Cygnus the Swan,Vega from Lyra the Lyre and Altair from Aquila the Eagle. In the 1950s the 'Summer Triangle' was popularised by the American author Hans Augusto Rey and the British astronomer, author and television presenter Sir Patrick Moore". - Archie Mendes - visiting theoretical astronomer at the Jodrell Plank Observatory - Reydon University - 'School of Computer Modelling and Difficult Sums' 
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The Milky Way running through Cygnus and Messier 31-the Andromeda Galaxy - Canon 600d DSLR with EOS 18-55mm lens at f=18mm - mounted on a Star Adventurer Equatorial mount.(stacked images) - credit Kurt Thrust

"The above images were taken on the 13th August 2018 from beside Windermere in the Lake District. I was trying to photograph Perseid Meteors but although I managed to see  10 or more over three hours of observation, none were evident on the the many frames captured by my camera. The night skies in the Lake District were very dark but the weather and levels of condensation I experienced made me very happy to return to Lowestoft on the East Coast". - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.