Hold the cosmos in your hands.
Before the days of high-speed internet, the best way to see the latest robotic exploration images from the Viking and Voyager missions was to write to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and ask for a press packet. We've recreated that thrilling, tactile experience with our exclusive line of high-quality physical photo prints.
This 8.5" x 11" print features NGC 6820 - The Vulpecula Pillar. Located roughly 6,000 light-years away in the small constellation Vulpecula (The Fox), NGC 6820 is a vast, glowing emission nebula hiding a spectacular secret. Extending right into the heart of the glowing gas is a massive, dark trunk of cosmic dust stretching light-years across! This towering pillar points directly at a nearby cluster of massive, newly formed young stars known as NGC 6823. The blinding ultraviolet radiation and fierce stellar winds from these giant stars are violently blasting away the surrounding gas. However, the dense material inside this dark pillar is stubborn enough to resist the erosion, acting like a protective shield for the brand-new baby stars currently forming inside it! Produced on premium one-sided gloss paper, this piece delivers stunning clarity and vibrant colors on the front.
On the reverse side, you'll find an engaging scientific description of this towering monument of dust, along with the exact Bracken Observatory equipment and exposure specs used to capture the shot—including 9 hours and 42 minutes of total exposure time using our RASA 11" telescope—just like the classic JPL media packets of the 1980s.
Whether you're an educator looking for engaging classroom materials, a parent sharing the wonders of the universe with your kids, or an astronomy enthusiast wanting a beautiful physical print to frame, this is the perfect way to experience the cosmos away from a screen.
Product Details:
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Dimensions: 8.5" x 11" (Standard Letter Size)
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Material: Premium one-sided gloss photo paper
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Features: High-resolution image on the front; science facts, shot specs, and an interactive QR code to the online showroom on the back
🔭 From the Desk of Paul Bracken:
"Capturing the Vulpecula Pillar is a fantastic exercise in contrast. We pointed the RASA 11 at this target for almost 10 hours to really make that dark, dense trunk of dust pop against the glowing emission gas. The physics of it—that this dust is literally shielding baby stars from the fierce stellar winds of NGC 6823—is incredible to think about. It makes for an awesome physical print that really highlights the three-dimensional structure of these cosmic clouds."
