{"id":465516,"date":"2026-06-07T14:45:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T14:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/465516\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T14:45:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T14:45:15","slug":"best-deep-sky-photos-of-may-2026-from-the-earthsky-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/465516\/","title":{"rendered":"Best deep-sky photos of May 2026 from the EarthSky community"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Deep-skyView at EarthSky Community Photos<\/a>. | Steven Bellavia<\/a> in Smithfield, Virginia, captured this telescopic view of galaxy Messier 83<\/a> on May 11, 2026. Steven wrote: \u201cEven down here in southern Virginia, M83, the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, only reaches an altitude of 22 degrees. So this is a challenging object to capture. M83, also called the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation borders of Hydra<\/a> and Centaurus<\/a>. Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille discovered it on February 17, 1752, at the Cape of Good Hope. Charles Messier added it to his catalog<\/a> in March 1781. At 15 million light-years away, it is one of the closest and brightest barred spiral galaxies in the sky, visible even with binoculars.\u201d Thank you, Steven! See more deep-sky photos from May 2026 below.<\/p>\n

You deserve a daily dose of good news. For the latest in science and the night sky, click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.<\/a><\/p>\n

Thank you, EarthSky community<\/p>\n

The EarthSky community has many talented astrophotographers who capture stunning images of the deep sky. We gathered some of our favorite deep-sky photos from May 2026 for you to enjoy. Do you have images of your own to share? You can submit them to EarthSky here<\/a>. We\u2019d love to see them and share them!<\/p>\n

Deep-sky photos of diffuse nebulae
\n\"AView at EarthSky Community Photos<\/a>. | Vikash Singh<\/a> in Dhannad, Jharkhand, India, captured this telescopic view of the North America Nebula<\/a> on May 8, 2026. Vikash wrote: \u201cNGC 7000, also known as the North America Nebula, from my city Dhanbad using my Dwarf 3 Smart Telescope. Located in the constellation Cygnus<\/a> near the bright star Deneb<\/a>, this emission nebula<\/a> lies around 1,500-2,200 light-years<\/a> away from Earth and stretches nearly 50 light-years across space.\u201d Thank you, Vikash!
\n\"AView at EarthSky Community Photos<\/a>. | Jacky Brown<\/a> in Aurora, Colorado, captured this telescopic view of the Rosette Nebula<\/a> with its associated star cluster, in the constellation Monoceros<\/a>, on May 10, 2026. Jacky wrote: \u201cI was actually watching Betelgeuse<\/a> and got sidetracked to this star cluster. Beautiful object, as always.\u201d Thank you, Jacky!
\nPlanetary nebulae
\n\"AView at EarthSky Community Photos<\/a>. | Jelieta Walinski<\/a> at Desert Bloom Observatory in St. David, Arizona, captured this telescopic view of Messier 97, the Owl Nebula in the constellation Ursa Major<\/a>, on May 15, 2026. Jelieta wrote: \u201cThe Owl Nebula, located in the constellation Ursa Major approximately 2,000 light-years from Earth, is a planetary nebula<\/a> formed from the outer layers of a dying sunlike star. Its distinctive \u2018owl-eyed\u2019 appearance emerges from complex shells of glowing gas illuminated by the hot remnant stellar core. This image represents both the beauty and the challenge of modern backyard astrophotography, where even under intrusive artificial light, faint deep-sky objects can still be revealed through patience, precision tracking, and long exposure imaging.\u201d Thank you, Jelieta!
\n\"Small,View at EarthSky Community Photos<\/a>. | Jelieta Walinski<\/a> at Desert Bloom Observatory in St. David, Arizona, captured this telescopic view of Messier 57<\/a>, the Ring Nebula, in the constellation Lyra<\/a>, on May 16, 2026. Jelieta wrote: \u201cCaptured from Desert Bloom Observatory under intermittent monsoon skies in the Arizona desert, this image reveals the luminous beauty of the Ring Nebula (Messier 57), the glowing remains of a dying star approximately 2,300 light-years from Earth. Its delicate emerald core and expanding outer shell shine like a celestial smoke ring suspended in the darkness of space.\u201d Thank you, Jelieta!
\nStar clusters
\n\"AView at EarthSky Community Photos<\/a>. | Giuseppe Pappa<\/a> from Sicily, Italy, used a remote telescope in Namibia to capture this view of globular cluster<\/a> NGC 5139, Omega Centauri<\/a>, on May 13, 2026. Giuseppe wrote: \u201cMay offers the optimal annual window for latitudes around 38-32 degrees north latitude. In this case I took the images from Namibia (remote control). Wide-field capture of the Milky Way\u2019s<\/a> most massive globular cluster. The flat field of the AG70 astrograph delivers pinpoint stellar profiles across the entire frame, mapping the steep radial density gradient from the structural outskirts to the unresolved core. Due to its multiple stellar populations with distinct chemical profiles and ages, NGC 5139 is classified as a stripped galactic nucleus: the fossil remnant of a dwarf galaxy accreted by the Milky Way.\u201d Thank you, Giuseppe!
\nDeep-sky photos of distant galaxies
\n\"AView at EarthSky Community Photos<\/a>. | Tameem Altameemi<\/a> in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) captured this telescopic view of Messier 51<\/a>, the Whirlpool galaxy, on May 9, 2026. Tameem wrote: \u201cLocated about 23.5 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici<\/a>, M51 is one of the most famous interacting spiral galaxies in the night sky. Its striking spiral structure is believed to be enhanced by the gravitational interaction with its companion galaxy NGC 5195, visible beside it. Several distant background galaxies also appear throughout the frame, including IC 4277 and IC 4278, adding depth to this cosmic scene.\u201d Thank you, Tameem!
\n\"TwoView at EarthSky Community Photos<\/a>. | Mohammed Abdallah<\/a> in Suez, Egypt, used a telephoto lens to capture this view of galaxies Messier 81 and Messier 82<\/a> on May 6, 2026. Mohammed wrote: \u201cM81 and M82 are interacting galaxies located in Ursa Major, and they are about 12 million light-years away. It\u2019s impressive to think about how many million stars are in front of your eyes.\u201d Thank you, Mohammed!
\n\"AView at EarthSky Community Photos<\/a>. | Tameem Altameemi<\/a> in Al Qou\u2019, United Arab Emirates (UAE), captured this telescopic view of Markarian\u2019s Chain<\/a> of galaxies on May 23, 2026. Tameem wrote: \u201cMarkarian\u2019s Chain is a famous curved alignment of galaxies located within the Virgo Cluster<\/a>, one of the nearest large galaxy clusters to Earth. The chain was named after the Armenian astrophysicist Benjamin Markarian, who noticed that many of these galaxies appear visually connected in a smooth arc across the sky. This region contains a remarkable variety of galaxies, including giant elliptical galaxies, spiral galaxies seen edge-on, and interacting systems shaped by gravitational encounters over millions of years.\u201d Thank you, Tameem!
\n\"AView at EarthSky Community Photos<\/a>. | Steven Bellavia<\/a> in Smithfield, Virginia, captured this telescopic view of Markarian\u2019s Chain of galaxies on May 30, 2026. Steven wrote: \u201cThe Markarian chain of galaxies and even more field beyond them. The finder chart and poster are courtesy of a free script for PixInsight, developed by Daniel Nimmervoll of Germany. Note that well over 500 galaxies are revealed in this image. I chose to stop at 246.\u201d Thank you, Steven!<\/p>\n

Bottom line: Without a doubt, you\u2019ll enjoy this gallery of deep-sky photos from May 2026 by our EarthSky community. If you have a great photo to share, send it in, too. We love to see them!<\/p>\n

Share your recent Earth or sky photo at EarthSky Community Photos<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read more: Messier objects are fuzzy patches in the night sky<\/a><\/p>\n

Armando Caussade
\n View Articles<\/a><\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/p>\n

Armando is known primarily as an astronomy educator, after 30+ years of extensive public outreach and 10 years teaching in colleges. As one of only a handful of science communicators in Puerto Rico during Comet Halley’s last visit, he assumed a pioneering role starting in 1985 when science was just beginning to enter the collective mindset. Over the years, his work as a teacher, speaker and writer, inspired people to pursue interests in science and brought enduring change to Puerto Rican culture. After being accepted into the 2014\u20132015 Antarctic season of PolarTREC, Armando was assigned to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, where in 2015 he successfully conducted 10 days of work at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. His affiliations include Ana G. M\u00e9ndez University, Cupey campus (2014 to 2021), the University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla campus (2015 to 2017), NASA JPL’s Solar System Ambassadors (2004 to 2006), and NASA Space Grant (2017 to 2019) where he served as an affiliate representative.<\/p>\n