Monoceros nebular complex

What do the following things have in common: a cone, the fur of a fox, and a Christmas tree? Answer: they all occur in the constellation of the unicorn (Monoceros). Just below the center of the left panel of this 4 degree wide mosaic is a star forming region cataloged as NGC 2264. The complex jumble of cosmic gas and dust is about 2,700 light-years distant and mixes reddish emission nebulae excited by energetic light from newborn stars with dark interstellar dust clouds. Where the otherwise obscuring dust clouds lie close to the hot, young stars they also reflect starlight, forming blue reflection nebulae. Outlined by the red glow of hydrogen gas, the cone points toward the left and bright, blue-white S Monocerotis. Itself a multiple system of massive, hot stars S Mon is adjacent to bluish reflection nebulae and the convoluted Fox Fur nebula. Given their distribution, the stars of NGC 2264 are also known as the Christmas Tree star cluster. The curious compact cometary shape at the bottom of the left panel is known as Hubble's Variable Nebula. Expansive dark markings on the sky are silhouetted by a larger region of fainter emission with yellowish open star cluster Trumpler 5 near the center of the frame. On the right panel lays several interesting objects as well, with the largest bluish reflection nebula at the utmost right being IC2169, known as Dreyer's Nebula. The color comes from scattered star light of the illuminating stars which are either in or behind it. The nebula is blue for the same reason our sky is blue. The tiny molecules of dust and gas scatter blue light better than the other colors due to its short wavelength. It matters little what color the illuminating stars are, as long as they emit some blue light the nebula was take on a blue color same as the somewhat yellow sun still results in our blue sky. IC2169 is thought to be part of the same huge cloud of dust and gas that includes the Cone Nebula as well as the Christmas Tree, laying at the same distance and considerably further away than the nearby Orion Nebula complex. The remaining bright reflection nebula are NGC 2245, NGC 2246 and IC446 which seems connected to the Dreyer's Nebula by a bridge of dust (text adapted from APOD). Two panel mosaic, Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - total exposure Ha(480m) L(400m) R (270m) G (270m) B (270m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. Spikes added with StarSpikes Pro 4.

The Rosette Nebula

Would the Rosette Nebula by any other name look as sweet? The bland New General Catalog designation of NGC 2237 doesn't appear to diminish the appearance of this flowery emission nebula. Inside the nebula lies an open cluster of bright young stars designated NGC 2244. These stars formed about four million years ago from the nebular material and their stellar winds are clearing a hole in the nebula's center, insulated by a layer of dust and hot gas. Ultraviolet light from the hot cluster stars causes the surrounding nebula to glow. The Rosette Nebula spans about 100 light-years across, lies about 5000 light-years away, and can be seen with a small telescope towards the constellation of the Unicorn (Monoceros). (text adapted from APOD). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha(360m) OIII(360m) L (300m) R (120m) G (120m) B (120m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. Spikes added with StarSpikes Pro 4.

Snake in the Dark

Dark nebulae snake across a gorgeous expanse of stars in this telescopic view toward the pronounceable constellation Ophiuchus and the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. In fact, the twisting central shape seen here is well known as the Snake Nebula. It is also listed as Barnard 72 (B72), one of 182 dark markings of the sky cataloged in the early 20th century by astronomer E. E. Barnard. Unlike bright emission nebulae and star clusters, Barnard's nebulae are interstellar dark clouds of obscuring gas and dust. Their shapes are visible in cosmic silhouette because they lie in the foreground along the line of sight to rich star fields and glowing stellar nurseries near the plane of our Galaxy. Many of Barnard's dark nebulae are themselves likely sites of future star formation. Barnard 72 is about 650 light years away. With bluish star 44 Ophiuchi at bottom left, the intriguing star field spans nearly 2 degrees or almost 20 light-years at the estimated distance of the Snake Nebula (text adapted from APOD). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - L (210m) R (120m) G (120m) B (120m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. Spikes added with StarSpikes Pro 4.

Tarantula Nebula (NGC2070) in LMC

The 16th century Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan and his crew had plenty of time to study the southern sky during the first circumnavigation of planet Earth. As a result, two fuzzy cloud-like objects easily visible to southern hemisphere skygazers are known as the Clouds of Magellan, now understood to be satellite galaxies of our much larger, spiral Milky Way galaxy. About 160,000 light-years distant in the constellation Dorado, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is seen here in a remarkably deep, colorful composite image, starlight from the central bluish bar contrasting with the telltale reddish glow of ionized atomic hydrogen gas. Spanning about 15,000 light-years or so, it is the most massive of the Milky Way's satellite galaxies and is the home of the closest supernova in modern times, SN 1987A. The prominent patch at top left is 30 Doradus, also known as the magnificent Tarantula Nebula. The giant star-forming region is about 1,000 light-years across and is the largest and most complex star forming region in the entire galactic neighborhood. Were it placed at the distance of Milky Way's Orion Nebula, only 1,500 light-years distant and the nearest stellar nursery to Earth, it would appear to cover about 30 degrees (60 full moons) on the sky. Intriguing details of the nebula are visible in the above image shown in composite narrowband and RGB "true colors". The spindly arms of the Tarantula nebula surround NGC 2070, a star cluster that contains some of the brightest, most massive stars known, visible in blue in the image center. Since massive stars live fast and die young, it is not so surprising that the cosmic Tarantula also lies near the site of a close recent supernova (text adapted from APOD). Officina Stellare Rifast 500 (500/f3.8) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (270m) OIII (270m) R (60m) G (60m) B (60m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

Cometary Globule CG30/31/38 in Puppis

Cometary globules, first observed in 1976, are interstellar clouds with comet-like morphology, consisting of compact, dusty, and opaque heads and long, faintly luminous tails. Unlike most dark clouds, CG's are isolated neutral globules surrounded by a hot ionized medium. Most CG's known are located in the Gum nebula, a large HII region mostly stretching between the constellations of Vela and Puppis. CG30/31/38 is a cometary globule and dark clouds complex located in southern portion of the Gum Nebula. Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (300m) L (280m) R (120m) G (120m) B (150m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

Cometary Globule CG13 in Puppis

Cometary globules, first observed in 1976, are interstellar clouds with comet-like morphology, consisting of compact, dusty, and opaque heads and long, faintly luminous tails. Unlike most dark clouds, CG's are isolated neutral globules surrounded by a hot ionized medium. Most CG's known are located in the Gum nebula, a large HII region mostly stretching between the constellations of Vela and Puppis. CG13 is a large diffuse globule, with an opaque core surrounded by extended bright rims, and a rather inconspicuous tail. It is associated with a nebulous star, Bernes 136, which is a F star merely passing through the globule. Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (180m) L (190m) R (120m) G (60m) B (120m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

Cometary Globule CG1 & BE135 in Puppis

Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (270m) L (300m) R (110m) G (120m) B (120m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

Sh2-54 (RCW 167) & NGC 6604

Sh2-54 is an extended bright nebula in the constellation of Serpens that belongs to an extended nebulosity that includes also the Eagle Nebula and the Omega Nebula. The older star population in this region has an average age of 4-5 millions years, and its components are grouped in the open cluster NGC 6604. Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (720m) L (210m) R (150m) G (120m) B (120m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

The Great Orion Nebula (M42)

The Great Nebula in Orion, an immense, nearby starbirth region, is probably the most famous of all astronomical nebulas. Here, glowing gas surrounds hot young stars at the edge of an immense interstellar molecular cloud only 1500 light-years away. In the above deep image, faint wisps and sheets of dust and gas are particularly evident. The Great Nebula in Orion can be found with the unaided eye just below and to the left of the easily identifiable belt of three stars in the popular constellation Orion. In addition to housing a bright open cluster of stars known as the Trapezium, the Orion Nebula contains many stellar nurseries. These nurseries contain hydrogen gas, hot young stars, proplyds, and stellar jets spewing material at high speeds. Also known as M42, the Orion Nebula spans about 40 light years and is located in the same spiral arm of our Galaxy as the Sun. The blue nebula above M42 is NGC1977, also named the running man nebula (text adapted from APOD). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (300m) OIII(120m) L (270m) R (190m) G (180m) B (230m) - M43 & M42's core data courtesy of Angus Lau, taken with a TEC180 (180mm f/7.1, R:G:B = 2m:2m:2m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

GUM14 / RCW27 Nebula

Gum 14 is a large emission nebula complex that also includes the bright and prominent reflection nebula NGC 2626, which is illuminated by a 10th magnitude star. Gum 14 is ionized by the supergiant star HD 73882 and was first catalogued in 1955 by the Australian astronomer Colin Gum. Subsequently, it was also included in the RCW catalogue in 1960 and is therefore also known as RCW 27. With a size of approximately 2 degrees, this giant nebula is the largest of a prominent grouping of emission nebulae to the north of the Vela Supernova remnant. Along with Gum 14, this group is comprised of the smaller Gum 15 (RCW 32) and the almost equally large Gum 17 (RCW 33). Gum 14 is a fairly active site of star formation and has an extensive series of dark clouds and bright rimmed globules. Detailed observations and studies by professional astronomers have also uncovered a small collection of Herbig Haro objects (not visible at a widefield scale) and cometary reflection nebulae associated with young stellar objects. Also visible near the top edge is the small planetary nebula Hen 2-11, one of hundreds discovered by the famous astronomer Karl Henize in the 1960's (text provided by Sakib Rasool) Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (300m) L (270m) R (120m) G (120m) B (130m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

NGC 4372 and the Dark Doodad

The delightful Dark Doodad Nebula drifts through southern skies, a tantalizing target for binoculars in the constellation Musca, The Fly. The dusty cosmic cloud is seen against rich starfields just south of the prominent Coalsack Nebula and the Southern Cross. Stretching for about 3 degrees across this scene the Dark Doodad seems punctuated at its southern tip (lower left) by globular star cluster NGC 4372. Of course NGC 4372 roams the halo of our Milky Way Galaxy, a background object some 20,000 light-years away and only by chance along our line-of-sight to the Dark Doodad. The Dark Doodad's well defined silhouette belongs to the Musca molecular cloud, but its better known alliterative moniker was first coined by astro-imager and writer Dennis di Cicco in 1986 while observing comet Halley from the Australian outback. The Dark Doodad is around 700 light-years distant and over 30 light-years long (text adapted from APOD). Full resolution image shown at about 75% of original resolution. Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - 2 panels mosaic, total L (440m) R (300m) G (300m) B (300m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

Vela Supernova Remnant

The plane of our Milky Way Galaxy runs through this complex and beautiful skyscape. At the northwestern edge of the constellation Vela (the Sails) the telescopic frame is about 4 degrees wide, centered on the brightest glowing filaments of the Vela Supernova Remnant, an expanding debris cloud from the death explosion of a massive star. Light from the supernova explosion that created the Vela remnant reached Earth about 11,000 years ago. In addition to the shocked filaments of glowing gas, the cosmic catastrophe also left behind an incredibly dense, rotating stellar core, the Vela Pulsar. Some 800 light-years distant, the Vela remnant is likely embedded in a larger and older supernova remnant, the Gum Nebula (text adapted from APOD). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - 4 panels mosaic, total Ha (1440m) OIII (1200m) R (480m) G (480m) B (360m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

Supernova Remnant Puppis A

Driven by the explosion of a massive star, supernova remnant Puppis A is blasting into the surrounding interstellar medium about 7,000 light-years away. The expanding shock waves from that explosion are heating up the dust and gas clouds surrounding the supernova, causing them to glow and creating the beautiful red cirrus we see scattered around the center of the image. Much of the material from that original star was violently thrown out into space. However, some of the material remained in an incredibly dense object called a neutron star. This particular neutron star (too faint to be seen in this image) is moving inexplicably fast: over 3 million miles per hour! Astronomers are perplexed over its absurd speed, and have nicknamed the object, the “Cosmic Cannonball." Some of the teal-colored gas and dust in the image is from yet another ancient supernova, the Vela supernova remnant. That explosion happened around 12,000 years ago and was four times closer to us than Puppis A. If you had X-ray vision like the comic book hero Superman, both of these remnants would be among the largest and brightest objects you would see in the sky. On the top of the image the little bluish glare is vdBH15. (Text adapted from APOD and "Star explosion leaves behind a rose" ScienceDaily, 12 Dec. 2011, NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory) Many thanks to Sakib Rasool for suggesting me this interesting target. Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (540m) OIII (540m) L (180m) R (70m) G (80m) B (60m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

Alnilam and Mintaka

Alnilam and Mintaka are the two bright bluish stars from east to west (left to right) in this cosmic vista. Otherwise known as the Belt of Orion (together with Alnitak), these blue supergiant stars are hotter and much more massive than the Sun. They lie about 1,500 light-years away, born of Orion's well-studied interstellar clouds. In fact, clouds of gas and dust adrift in this region have intriguing and some surprisingly familiar shapes, including the dark Horsehead Nebula and Flame Nebula near Alnitak. The famous Orion Nebula itself lies off the bottom of this star field that covers about 2x2 degrees on the sky (text adapted from APOD). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (360m) L (230m) R (150m) G (130m) B (120m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

Great Rift around Mu Serpentis

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 in Scorpius

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

The Seagull Nebula (IC 2177)

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

Tarantula Nebula (NGC2070) with labels

Tarantula Nebula (NGC2070) with labels reporting the main objects visible in the area

Tarantula Nebula (NGC2070) in LMC

The 16th century Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan and his crew had plenty of time to study the southern sky during the first circumnavigation of planet Earth. As a result, two fuzzy cloud-like objects easily visible to southern hemisphere skygazers are known as the Clouds of Magellan, now understood to be satellite galaxies of our much larger, spiral Milky Way galaxy. About 160,000 light-years distant in the constellation Dorado, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is seen here in a remarkably deep, colorful composite image, starlight from the central bluish bar contrasting with the telltale reddish glow of ionized atomic hydrogen gas. Spanning about 15,000 light-years or so, it is the most massive of the Milky Way's satellite galaxies and is the home of the closest supernova in modern times, SN 1987A. The prominent patch at top left is 30 Doradus, also known as the magnificent Tarantula Nebula. The giant star-forming region is about 1,000 light-years across and is the largest and most complex star forming region in the entire galactic neighborhood. Were it placed at the distance of Milky Way's Orion Nebula, only 1,500 light-years distant and the nearest stellar nursery to Earth, it would appear to cover about 30 degrees (60 full moons) on the sky. Intriguing details of the nebula are visible in the above image shown in composite narrowband and RGB "true colors". The spindly arms of the Tarantula nebula surround NGC 2070, a star cluster that contains some of the brightest, most massive stars known, visible in blue in the image center. Since massive stars live fast and die young, it is not so surprising that the cosmic Tarantula also lies near the site of a close recent supernova (text adapted from APOD). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (300m) OIII (300m) L (180m) R (120m) G (120m) B (150m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

Cometary Globule CG12 (NGC 5367)

Cometary Globule 12 is a high latitude low mass star forming region associated with the young cluster and reflection nebula NGC 5367. While the cluster and associated nebula were discovered by John Herschel in 1834, the cometary globule was discovered only in 1976 on an ESO/SRC Sky Survey plate taken with the UK Schmidt telescope. It is estimated to be about 600 pc away, toward the constellation of Centaurus. Cometary globules are known stellar bithplaces that show a head–tail morphology similar to comets. Their heads are dusty, compact and bright-rimmed. A faintly luminous tail extending from the head generally points away from a nearby bright early-type star. CG12 is not only unusual because its isolated location far from the galactic plane, but Chandra also discovered more than 50 new young stars in CG12 with their age and stellar distributions inconsistent with the simple radiation driven implosion model that is believed to be a major triggering process of star formation in many cometary clouds. Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - L (300m) R (130m) G (130m) B (130m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

LDN 1622: "The Boogie Man" Dark Nebula in Orion

The silhouette of an intriguing dark nebula inhabits this cosmic scene. Lynds' Dark Nebula (LDN) 1622 appears against a faint background of glowing hydrogen gas only easily seen in long telescopic exposures of the region. LDN 1622 lies near the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, close on the sky to Barnard's Loop - a large cloud surrounding the rich complex of emission nebulae found in the Belt and Sword of Orion. But the obscuring dust of LDN 1622 is thought to be much closer than Orion's more famous nebulae, perhaps only 500 light-years away. At that distance, this 2 degrees wide field of view would span less than 20 light-years. (Text adapted from APOD). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (330m) L (240m) R (120m) G (120m) B (120m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

The Horsehead and Alnitak region

The Horsehead Nebula is one of the most famous nebulae on the sky. It is visible as the dark indentation to the red emission nebula seen above and to the right of center in the above photograph. The Horsehead is some 1,500 light-years distant, embedded in the vast Orion cloud complex. About five light-years "tall", the dark cloud is cataloged as Barnard 33 and is visible only because its obscuring dust is silhouetted against the glowing red emission nebula IC 434. Contrasting blue reflection nebula NGC 2023 is visible on the lower left. In this color image, both Horsehead and NGC 2023 seem to be caught in beams of light shining from above -- but the beams are actually just internal reflections from bright star Sigma Orionis, just off the upper edge of the view. The bright star on the left is located in the belt of the familiar constellation of Orion. The horse-head feature is dark because it is really an opaque dust cloud which lies in front of the bright red emission nebula. Like clouds in Earth's atmosphere, this cosmic cloud has assumed a recognizable shape by chance. After many thousands of years, the internal motions of the cloud will alter its appearance. The emission nebula's red color is caused by electrons recombining with protons to form hydrogen atoms. Also visible in the picture are blue reflection nebulae, which preferentially reflect the blue light from nearby stars. (Text adapted from APOD). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (270m) L (200m) R (120m) G (120m) B (120m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

The Helix Nebula (NGC 7293)

A mere seven hundred light years from Earth, in the constellation Aquarius, a sun-like star is dying. Its last few thousand years have produced the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), a well studied and nearby example of a Planetary Nebula, typical of this final phase of stellar evolution. A total of 16.5 hours of exposure time have gone in to creating this deep view of the nebula. It shows details of the Helix's brighter inner region, about 3 light-years across, but also follows fainter outer halo features that give the nebula a span of well over six light-years. The white dot at the Helix's center is this Planetary Nebula's hot, central star. A simple looking nebula at first glance, the Helix is now understood to have a surprisingly complex geometry (text adapted from APOD). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (630m) OIII (600m 5nm + 240m 3nm) L (270m) R (80m) G (190m) B (170m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

M78 and Reflecting Dust Clouds in Orion

Interstellar dust clouds and bright nebulae abound in the fertile constellation of Orion. One of the brightest, M78, is just left of center in this colorful telescopic view, covering an area north of Orion's belt. At a distance of about 1,500 light-years, the bluish nebula itself is about 5 light-years across. Its blue tint is due to dust preferentially reflecting the blue light of hot, young stars in the region. Dark dust lanes and other nebulae can easily be traced through this gorgeous skyscape. The scene also includes the remarkable McNeil's Nebula -- a newly recognized nebula associated with the formation of a sun-like star, and the telltale reddish glow of many Herbig- Haro objects, energetic jets from stars in the process of formation (text adapted from APOD). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (420m) L (220m) R (220m) G (150m) B (280m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

At the feet of Orion (NGC1999) Full Frame

South of the large star-forming region known as the Orion Nebula, lies bright blue reflection nebula NGC 1999. The nebula is marked with a dark inverted T-shape at the lower left in a broad cosmic vista that spans over 10 light-years. The dark shape is a dense gas and dust cloud, or Bok globule, seen in silhouette against the bright nebula, and likely a site of future star formation. At the edge of the Orion molecular cloud complex some 1,500 light-years distant, NGC 1999's illumination is provided by the embedded variable star V380 Orionis. The region abounds with energetic young stars producing jets and outflows that create luminous shock waves, including HH (Herbig-Haro) 1 and 2 just below and left of NGC 1999, and the apparent cascade of reddish arcs and bow shocks beginning at the upper right. The stellar jets and outflows push through the surrounding material at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per second (text adapted from APOD). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (330m) L (360m) R (120m) G (120m) B (120m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

Ring of Ice and Fire in SMC

At the "feet" of the SMC, east of the nebular group know as the "magnificent seven" is this amazing area rich of HII and O3 emissions. NGC456, NGC460 and NGC465 is the array of bright emission nebulae at right in the image above. The assortment of irregular shapes appear to be cut through with dark lanes, while the individual nebulae have a large brightness range amongst them. On the middle-left of the image is visible the blue spot of (Henize) N-89, than at its left lays NGC 602 (a young, bright open cluster) and the very faint but large ring of N-90. Radiation and shock waves from the stars have pushed away much of the lighter surrounding gas and dust that compose N90, and this in turn has triggered new star formation in the ridges (or "elephant trunks") of the nebula. Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (360m) OIII(450m) L (180m) R (120m) G (120m) B (120m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

Gas and stars of a nearby galaxy

NGC 292, or the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is the smaller of the two ‘Nubeculas’ first sighted by Ferdinand Magellan during his circumnavigation around the globe at the beginning of the sixteenth century. At a distance of "merely" 210,000 light-years away in the constellation Tucana, the SMC is tidally distorted by both the LMC and our own Milky Way. It actually spans 15,000 light-years or so and contains several hundred million stars. Despite being often overlooked due to the smaller size and brightness compared to the Large Magellanic cloud, the SMC is very rich of objects to see. The large blue patch in the top right of the image is clusters and nebulae NGC 346, a a star forming region about 200 light-years across, as big as the Eta Carinae Nebula. Exploring NGC 346, astronomers have identified a population of embryonic stars strung along the dark, intersecting dust lanes visible here on the right. Still collapsing within their natal clouds, the stellar infants' light is reddened by the intervening dust. Under this giant nebula, close the center of the image lay Henize N36 and N37, a pair of emission nebulae fairly bright. Al bottom left in the picture above there is a group of objects known as "the Magnificent Seven", in fact NGC 249–261–267, Dem 132 and N 25–28–30. Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - - Mosaic of two panels - Ha (750m) OIII(840m) L (410m) R (240m) G (270m) B (280m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

Ancient Supernova SN185 (RCW86)

In 185 AD, Chinese astronomers recorded the appearance of a new star in the Nanmen asterism - a part of the sky identified with Alpha and Beta Centauri on modern star charts. The new star was visible for months and is thought to be the earliest recorded supernova. The gaseous shell RCW 86 is probably the supernova remnant of this event and has a relatively large angular size of roughly 45 arc minutes (larger than the apparent size of the full moon). The distance to RCW 86 is estimated to be 9,100 light-years. Recent X-ray studies show a good match for the expected age. New infrared observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) reveal how the supernova occurred and how its shattered remains ultimately spread out to great distances. The findings show that the stellar explosion took place in a hollowed-out cavity, allowing material expelled by the star to travel much faster and farther than it would have otherwise (text adapted from Wikipedia). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (1020m) OIII (490m) R (90m) G (90m) B (90m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

Inside the Small Magellanic Cloud

NGC 292, or the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is the smaller of the two ‘Nubeculas’ first sighted by Ferdinand Magellan during his circumnavigation around the globe at the beginning of the sixteenth century. At a distance of "merely" 210,000 light-years away in the constellation Tucana, the SMC is tidally distorted by both the LMC and our own Milky Way. It actually spans 15,000 light-years or so and contains several hundred million stars. Despite being often overlooked due to the smaller size and brightness compared to the Large Magellanic cloud, the SMC is very rich of objects to see. The large blue patch in the top centre of the image is clusters and nebulae NGC 346, a a star forming region about 200 light-years across, as big as the Eta Carinae Nebula. Exploring NGC 346, astronomers have identified a population of embryonic stars strung along the dark, intersecting dust lanes visible here on the right. Still collapsing within their natal clouds, the stellar infants' light is reddened by the intervening dust. Under this giant nebula, close the center of the image lay Henize N36 and N37, a pair of emission nebulae fairly bright. Lower right in the picture above there is a group of objects known as "the Magnificent Seven", in fact NGC 249–261–267, Dem 132 and N 25–28–30. Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (390m) OIII(390m) L (230m) R (120m) G (150m) B (160m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia