A Night of Celestial Capture: An Adventure Journal

This session was a Messier and NGC marathon, focused on exploring some of the most fascinating deep-sky objects. Here's a quick rundown of my objectives:

Open Clusters: M39 and M29 (Cygnus Constellation)

M39 (NGC 7092): This is a relatively nearby open cluster (about 800-1000 light-years away) in the constellation of Cygnus. It is a grouping of bright, young stars that are slowly dispersing. In the photos, it looks like a cluster of jewels scattered on dark velvet.

M29 (NGC 6913): Also in Cygnus, M29 is another open cluster whose distance is somewhat uncertain (between 4,000 and 7,000 light-years) due to the large amount of interstellar dust surrounding it. Capturing its stars shrouded in cosmic haze is a worthwhile challenge.

Globular Clusters: M71, M56, and M92

M71 (NGC 6838): Located in the constellation of Sagitta. For a long time, there was debate about whether it was a very dense open cluster or a globular cluster, but today it is considered a relatively scattered globular cluster, about 9 to 10 billion years old.

M56 (NGC 6779): A globular cluster in the constellation Lyra. Unlike other globular clusters, which have a very bright center, M56 is one of the dimmest Messier clusters, making it a subtle and beautiful target. It is located about 32,900 light-years away.

M92 (NGC 6341): A marvel in Hercules! This is one of the brightest and oldest globular clusters in the Northern Hemisphere. Although often overshadowed by the more famous M13, M92 is spectacular in its own right, a dense sphere of stars about 26,000 light-years away.

My Favorite of the Night! The Perseus Double Cluster

My big win of the night, and the one I'm most proud of, is capturing the Perseus Double Cluster, formed by NGC 869 and NGC 884.

This pair is visible to the naked eye and is a delight for any amateur astronomer. Both are very young open clusters (only about 13 million years old) and are located about 7,600 light-years away in the constellation of Perseus.

What makes my image so special is that I've managed to process the two clusters so they look perfectly defined and distinct in a single wide-field shot. The composition of young, blue stars that dominate both clusters is simply stunning. Proof that patience in astrophotography always pays off!

Which of these objects is your favorite to photograph? Let me know in the comments!

Akatsuki mission end. Hatsune Miku and Venus: A Hologram Among the Stars

I never thought I'd write this: we've lost Hatsune Miku in space.

After more than a year of silence, the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) has confirmed the end of the Akatsuki mission, the probe that orbited Venus since 2010. But this wasn't just any spacecraft: it carried more than 13,000 messages and drawings from Hatsune Miku fans, engraved on aluminium plates as part of a campaign to unite science and culture.

Miku, the virtual idol who has sung in real and holographic settings, became a symbolic crew member. She was a digital ambassador who helped connect new generations with space exploration. Her image, her synthesised voice, her pixelated presence, served as a bridge between scientific wonder and people's passion.

Today, her mission has ended. The probe stopped responding in April 2024, and after multiple attempts to reconnect, JAXA has officially closed the chapter.

It's a strangely poetic ending: a pop star made of pixels, now a technological ghost, silently orbiting an inhospitable planet. An eternal dance in the atmosphere of Venus.

This gesture wasn't just a publicity stunt. It was a brilliant way to remind us that science can also be emotional, symbolic, and human. That even at the farthest reaches of the solar system, we carry with us our stories, our voices, our dreams.

AI-generated image

Although the Akatsuki mission has concluded, Miku's presence on Venus hasn't. Those aluminium plates will likely outlast us, outlast the probe itself. They are time capsules that carry the essence of a global community, a testament to the digital culture of the early 21st century.

In that sense, Miku isn't lost; she's stayed like a silent monument to our shared imagination.

This gesture, beyond its symbolic nature, sets a fascinating precedent. It's not the first time we've sent culture into space—the Voyager probes' golden records are the most famous example—but it is the first time a figure created entirely by technology has done so.

This forces us to ask: Will digital ambassadors like Miku, the "holograms among the stars," be the new spokespersons for humanity?

Imagine missions to Mars that carry Earth's digital libraries with them, or that use virtual characters, created by artificial intelligence, to make scientific reports more accessible and exciting.

Miku, with her silent dance around Venus, is not just a memory. She is the prototype of this new way of exploring. She demonstrated that technology can be the strongest bridge between scientific wonder and collective emotion.

And perhaps, right now, somewhere in the turbulent Venusian atmosphere, a ray of sunlight reflects a pixel off that aluminium plate, and the echo of a pop song, created more than a decade ago, continues to resonate in the vastness.

6,000 Worlds and Counting: What Exoplanets Teach Us About the Univeres

I still remember the day I read in an encyclopedia that the only star system with planets was our own. That statement, so confident at the time, now seems almost poetic in its naiveté. In 1995, the discovery of a planet orbiting a sun-like star changed everything. It wasn't just a scientific breakthrough, but a shift in perspective. Suddenly, our solar system was no longer unique. The night sky became a map of possibilities. Today, NASA has confirmed more than 6,000 worlds outside the solar system. Each of those planets represents a possibility, a story, a question. And each discovery brings us closer to understanding whether we are alone in the universe—or if, perhaps, life is a cosmic constant waiting to be found.

Why does it matter?

This milestone isn't just about numbers. It's about the accelerating pace of discoveries and the tools we've created to explore the cosmos. Missions like the James Webb Space Telescope have already analyzed the atmospheres of more than 100 exoplanets. And with the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and the Habitable Worlds Observatory on the horizon, we're preparing to study planets that could resemble Earth, not only in size, but also in habitability.

The pace of discovery is accelerating

Just three years ago, we had confirmed 5,000 exoplanets. Today there are more than 6,000. And there are more than 8,000 candidates awaiting confirmation. 

A community of curiosity

NASA's The Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI) and the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) are leading this initiative, but they rely on a global network of scientists and observers.

This achievement would not be possible without the telescopes that have expanded our view of the cosmos:

• Kepler Space Telescope: Discovered more than 2,600 exoplanets by detecting tiny diminutions in light as planets passed in front of their stars.

• TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite): Continues Kepler's legacy, scanning the sky for planets around nearby stars.

• Hubble Space Telescope: Pioneer in the study of exoplanet atmospheres using ultraviolet and optical instruments.

• Spitzer Space Telescope: Provided key infrared observations for understanding the temperature and composition of distant worlds.

• James Webb Space Telescope: Has already analyzed the chemistry of more than 100 exoplanet atmospheres with unprecedented infrared precision.

• Ground-based observatories: Such as Keck (Hawaii), Magellan II (Chile), Palomar (California), Kitt Peak (Arizona), and ARTEMIS (Tenerife), which confirm and characterize exoplanets with high-resolution spectroscopy.

This reminds us that cosmic exploration is a collective effort that invites educators, artists, and storytellers to join in.

What's next?

As we search for biosignatures (signs of life in distant atmospheres), we also deepen our understanding of our own planet. Earth becomes not only our home, but our point of reference. And each confirmed exoplanet becomes a mirror reflecting the diversity of worlds that could exist.

My reflection at this moment

This breakthrough is the culmination of centuries of curiosity and decades of technological innovation. We've moved from philosophical speculation to hard-data science. We are living in the era in which humanity is taking its first real steps toward becoming a species that explores the galaxy, not just with ships, but with minds and technology.

It's no exaggeration to say that the history books of the future will look back on this period as the moment the cosmos ceased to be a canvas of points of light and became a catalog of worlds to explore. It's incredible!

A Night of Celestial Capture: An Adventure Journal

NGC 281, also known as the Pac-Man Nebula, is located in the constellation of Cassiopeia and owes its nickname to its unusual shape, reminiscent of the classic video game character. This emission nebula hosts the open cluster IC 1590 and several Bok globulins, small dark clouds where new stars are born.

During my 61-minute session, I managed to capture the central structure with its filaments of ionized gas and the contrast between the bright areas and the shadows that outline Pac-Man's "mouth." Despite the relatively short exposure, the image reveals the interaction between young stars and the surrounding gas, a testament to the stellar life cycle in action.

This object was discovered in 1883 by E.E. Barnard and remains a favorite in astrophotography for its visual and symbolic richness.

The Magic Shop by H. G. Wells

 In The Magic Shop (1903), H. G. Wells takes us on a surreal journey with a father and his son, Gip, into a shop that seems to defy reality. What begins as a simple outing to buy toys turns into an experience that challenges logic, perception, and emotional safety.

Real Magic, Not Just Illusion

The shop is filled with impossible objects: distorting mirrors, spring-loaded hats, crystal balls that appear out of thin air. Gip is delighted. The father, however, grows uneasy. This isn’t stage magic—it feels alive.

Who Controls the Magic?

The shopkeeper, with his strange appearance and cryptic behavior, offers no clear answers. The father realizes he’s no longer in control. The shop becomes a liminal space, where the rules of the outside world no longer apply. Is he dreaming? Trapped? And why does Gip seem so at ease?

Reflection: What Happens When Adults Face the Unexplainable?

Wells invites us to explore the tension between adult logic and childlike openness. Magic, he suggests, is real—but only for those willing to see it. The father leaves unsure of what happened. But Gip knows. And that’s enough.

“Magic isn’t explained. It’s experienced.”

The Obliterated Man by H. G. Wells

In The Obliterated Man, H. G. Wells introduces Egbert Craddock Cummins, a shy, reserved young man who is pressured by his editor to become a drama critic. He’s never attended a play before, and his first experience leaves him bewildered by the exaggerated emotions and theatrical gestures. But discomfort soon turns into something more disturbing.

Personality as Performance

Cummins begins unconsciously mimicking the actors. His speech, movements, and demeanor become theatrical. His fiancée, Delia, notices the change and ends their engagement. The once-genuine young man becomes a parody of himself—a personality “plated over” by the stage, as Wells describes.

Reflection: Who Are We When We Imitate Too Much?

This story raises a timeless question: how much of our identity is real, and how much is performance? In an age of social media, professional personas, and public roles, The Obliterated Man remains strikingly relevant. Can we lose ourselves in the roles we play?

Mr. Brisher’s Treasure by H. G. Wells

In Mr. Brisher’s Treasure, H. G. Wells introduces us to a dubious narrator—a man who, between drinks and sighs, shares a tale of lost love, buried silver, and choices that left him empty-handed. But is the treasure really the point?

A Storyteller Full of Gaps and Gestures

Mr. Brisher, with his rumpled mustache and boozy breath, speaks of a woman named Jane, a broken engagement, and a trunk filled with half-crown coins. His story is scattered, theatrical, and possibly exaggerated. Is he telling the truth—or clinging to a tale to justify his solitude?

The Treasure Never Taken

Brisher claims he found a chest of silver worth thousands. Yet out of fear, hesitation, or respect for Jane’s family, he never took it. The treasure remains buried—like his past, like the chances he never seized.

Reflection: What Treasures Do We Leave Behind?

Wells invites us to consider that the real treasure may not be silver or gold, but the lives we could have lived, the people we let go, and the stories we tell ourselves to endure.

“What’s more valuable: buried wealth or the unlived life?”