Astrophoto of the month: Dragons of Ara

Each month Space.com chooses an "astrophoto of the month" to celebrate and acknowledge the stunning images captured by our readers. 

For your chance to be considered, please send your send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com. From the full moon to deep-space targets, the Starlink satellite train to planetary conjunctions, we want to see it all! 

If you're inspired by these photos and are thinking about purchasing some new kit, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start.

Our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography, as well as our Astrophotography for beginners guides, will also help you choose the right gear to capture your next stunning space photo.  

Related: What you can see in the night sky tonight (maps)  

For any successful astrophotography venture, preparation is key. It's important to understand what you can see in the night sky and when. Here are some helpful guides designed to help you get the most out of your skywatching experience.  

Skywatching guides

• Night sky guide: What you can see in the night sky tonight (maps): Our stargazing guide tells you what's up in your night sky and how to see it.
• The brightest planets in the night sky: What you can see (and when): Our viewing guide tells you which planets are visible in the night sky and how you can see them. 
• Meteor shower guide: When is the next one?: Find out when the next meteor shower will occur and what the viewing prospects are like for meteor showers throughout the year. 
• Solar eclipse guide: When is the next one?: Our solar eclipse guide tells you when the next solar eclipse will occur and where you'll need to be located to see it. 
• Lunar eclipse guide: When is the next one?: Our lunar eclipse guide tells you when the next lunar eclipse will occur and where you'll need to be located to see it. 
• Full moon calendar: Find out when the next full moon will occur. 

Astrophotography guides

• How to photograph the aurora: Here is our beginner's guide on how to photograph the aurora, which includes the best techniques and camera settings for capturing the northern lights. 
• How to view and photograph comets: Learn how to observe and photograph comets. Get the best sights and images of these celestial encounters with our handy guide. 
• How to photograph the ISS: It's very possible to photograph the International Space Station, but you need to know where the ISS is, and how to track it. Our guide explains it all. 
• How to photograph meteors and meteor showers: Capturing the moment a meteor streaks across the sky is extremely rewarding. We explore the where, when and how in this guide to photographing meteors. 
• How to photograph the Milky Way: Create stunning night sky images by learning to photograph the Milky Way like a pro. 
• How to photograph the moon: These are the techniques, times and tools you'll need to photograph the moon. 
• How to photograph a solar eclipse: Safely capture a solar eclipse on camera to reveal one of nature's most spectacular sights. 
• How to photograph star trails: The best camera settings and shooting tips for anyone looking to photograph star trails. 
• How to photograph Starlink satellites: Discover the best methods and camera equipment to photograph SpaceX's Starlink satellites at night using this step-by-step method. 

Astrophoto of the month

July 2023

Our astrophoto of the month is a dramatic scene of emission nebulas NGC 6188 and NGC 6188 in the constellation Ara captured by astrophotographer Vikas Chander. 

"Painted on the canvas of the night, are two dragons fighting each other on a portion of the sky known as the Altar, or the constellation of Ara". Chander told Space.com in an email. 

The massive young stars embedded in the stellar scene formed only a few million years ago. Their stellar winds and intense ultraviolet radiation sculpt the "dragons" we see fighting in the sky and cause the nebulas to glow according to NASA.

Though NGC 6188 takes center stage, if you look toward the lower right, a rare emission nebula called NGC 6164 is visible. Its faint halo surrounds a bright central star. 

"I have a particular fondness of this target and decided to image it in the classic Hubble palette, using filters that transmit light in the narrowband of SII, Ha and OIII," Chander wrote.

Chander used double the exposure time for the SII and OIII filters compared to the Ha emission as this was already very strong and required lower exposure times to achieve the desired signal-to-noise ratio.

"My fast Takahashi E160ed reflecting telescope with an aperture of 3.3 made short work of getting a large amount of exposure time" Chander continued. "A total of 25 hrs went into the imaging and I also used short RGB exposures for getting good star colours."

You can see more of Chander's work on his website www.vikaschander.com and Instagram @vikaschanderastrophotography

Do you have a space photo you'd like to share with us? Email photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

June 2023

Our astrophoto of the month is this stunning image of the new supernova SN 2023ixf in the Pinwheel Galaxy, also known as Messier 101 (M101), captured by astrophotographer R. Mark Lilienthal from Constance Bay, Ontario, Canada. 

SN 2023ixf has been making headlines since it first burst into view on May 19, 2023, when supernova hunter Koichi Itagaki from Yamagata, Japan spotted a new bright spot in the Pinwheel Galaxy. The supernova was confirmed the following day by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) in California.

Lilienthal started astrophotography almost two years ago and in that time has upgraded his equipment and learned stacking and processing, using AstroPixelProcessor as the main workhorse.

"This past Christmas, I acquired a previously enjoyed Sky-Watcher Equinox 80ED Pro refractor but took another couple of months to buy the iOptron CEM26 mount," Lilienthal told Space.com in an email.

It took several attempts to get the perfect setup that produced the stunning image of the M101 supernova. 

"Frustration with finding an elegant solution to drive all of this led me finally to acquire a previously enjoyed ZWO ASI533mc Pro camera, after which I went the last mile and bought a ZWO ASIAir to drive everything (and a ZWO ASI120mm guide camera). Of course, through most of this time, our weather here had been less than ideal for astrophotography!"

Lilienthal's "first light" image with this new setup was of M101 on May 14. 

"Everything worked well…although I did only get about 45 minutes worth of subs. I was still quite proud — round, sharp stars and good detail in the galaxy's arms," Lilienthal wrote.

But as everyone who dabbles in astrophotography knows, things aren't always straightforward. 

"With 22 May promising to be the next clear night, I was looking forward to getting another hour's worth or more of subs to add to the previous," Lilienthal wrote.

"I even resolved the meridian cross which had stopped me on the 14th. Of course, that wasn't to be. By May 22, SN2023ixf was shining in all its glory, the result of which I've shared."

"Suffice it to say that I was extremely pleased with the result."

Do you have a space photo you'd like to share with us? Email photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.