[Editors Note: In honor of NASA’s last shuttle launch, this week’s photos of the day will be themed: Space.]

The Eagle Nebula, pictured here, was discovered in 1745.  It is a young cluster of stars about 7,000 light years away.  It is one of the more popularly photographed space images and has even been used in movies such as Contact (1997) and television shows like Babylon 5 and Star Trek Voyager.

What strikes me most about this image is that this one here was taken by an amateur astronomer in his backyard.  This is not from the Hubble or Spitzer space telescope, nor from any university’s budget.  This was taken by Chris Icough from his roof terrace in the south of Spain.  His telescope may have cost him $1800 but the point is that nobody needs to dedicate their lives to space study to enjoy it and its beauty, space is available to anyone and everyone who has the desire.  Chris’ curiosity began as a child but it wasn’t for another 15 years, after  he purchased his first ‘beginner’ scope, that he could see the craters on the moon.  Over the next several years he upgraded as he learned more and more, ultimately being able to create the image you see here.  There is quite an array of telescopes available to the newbie for under $100, just check it out.

This photo itself is actually a collection of images taken over several nights and then stitched together using specialized astronomy imaging software as well as Adobe Photoshop.  Kudos to Chris for bringing the beauty of the heavens a little closer for the rest of us.

To see our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.

Photo Credit: By Chris Icough, with permission from Simone Icough.