Sh2-132

• Photographer
  Joel Shepherd

Stewart Sharpless cataloged hundreds of faint nebula. Sh2-132 is an extensive cloud of hydrogen and other gasses, over 10,000 light years distant from earth, rippling with dark dust and sparkling with clusters of young stars. Photographed from Seattle, WA over six nights in August and September 2019, for a total of 18 hours of exposures.

I have been an astrophotographer since 2014, when I discovered that even under the city's bright skies, patience, precision and a small telescope could extend my vision far beyond the few dozen stars apparent to the eyes. Left unchecked, within the next ten years urban light pollution will drown out all but the very brightest stars in the night sky, severing most of humanity's connection to our own galaxy and our stellar origins. My photos offer a glimpse of the beauty and wonder that is our heritage, within the Milky Way Galaxy and beyond.