Thanks for your kind words Marc, Paul, Steve,Tim & Richard.
I submitted the image on a whim when I saw Peter Wards' amazing Carina image.
I had no expectations so was gobsmakked when I got the acceptance notification email a couple of days later.
If there's a lesson to be learned here it's that IIS folks are capable of producing world class astro images and we should believe in our abilities, and continue to support one another's efforts.
It seems that APOD has an incredible reach, this image was shared over 500 times worldwide on their FB page alone!
Pretty amazing for a backyard image taken with modest gear
