August 24, 2018

NGC 6334 (Spring & Summer 2018)


These clumps of nebulosity are called NGC 6334 and remind some of a cat's pawprint.  This area, which appears in Scorpius, is too far south for me to capture well with the camera.

Notice that the cloud seems to be blowing every which way; it's hard to see what exactly is powering the emission. Recent studies, especially this one, show that the area is packed with O- and B-type stars that could cause the emission. Also, the region is bursting with new star formation.  It's a very exciting place.

This image is 14x1800" Ha and 16:16:16x1200" RGB with the 12.5" RCOS from MPAstro in New South Wales. The Ha was combined with the RGB.  In this area, the H-alpha emission is overwhelming compared to the blue and green, though there is some blue and green there, perhaps some reflection as well as OIII glow.

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