Mu Serpentis (μ Serpentis) is a blue giant star in the head of constellation Serpens (Serpens Caput). Located about 160 light years away, Mu Serpentis shines at an apparent visual magnitude of 3.54. This area is a dense part of the Great Rift, a series of overlapping, molecular dust clouds that are located between the Solar System and the Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - L (290m) R (80m) G (150m) B (120m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia
Bernes 149 is an obscure nebula complex consisting of the reflection nebula GN 16.05.2 at the centre of an elongated dusty dark nebula. Although mostly unknown to amateurs, it has been well studied by professionals and is also known as the Lupus 3 cloud. The name comes from its connection with many other dark clouds in the constellation of Lupus. Near the centre of the image are the blazing bright stars HR 5999 and HR 6000. They belong to a class of YSO known as Herbig Ae/Be stars, which are intermediate mass pre-main sequence precursors to supergiant stars. The central reflection nebula is illuminated by HR 5999, the southern of the pair. Out of all the Lupus clouds, Lupus 3 exhibits the highest rate of star formation. Searches for young stellar objects have yielded the detection of more than a hundred x-ray sources in a 30 arcminute radius around HR 5999 and HR 6000. The Lupus 3 cloud also contains protostars with detected jets and outflows and Herbig Haro objects have been found near the central region (not visible in image). Near the bottom right corner is the small reflection nebula GN 16.01.6. The Lupus clouds are approximately 450-650 light years away (text and target suggestion by Sakib Rasool). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - L (300m) R (170m) G (120m) B (100m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia
A broad expanse of glowing gas and dust presents a bird-like visage to astronomers from planet Earth, suggesting its popular moniker - The Seagull Nebula. This portrait of the cosmic bird covers a 2 degree wide swath across the plane of the Milky Way, near the direction of Sirius, alpha star of the constellation Canis Major. Of course, the region includes objects with other catalog designations: notably NGC 2327, a compact, dusty emission region with an embedded massive star that forms the bird's head (aka the Parrot Nebula, right center). IC 2177 forms the sweeping arc of the seagull's wings. Dominated by the reddish glow of atomic hydrogen, the complex of gas and dust clouds with bright young stars spans over 100 light-years at an estimated 3,800 light-year distance (text adapted from APOD). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (330m) OIII (300m) L (250m) R (160m) G (120m) B (60m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia
