Almost due east of the famous Lagoon Nebula (M8) and Trifid Nebula (M20) lies this less conspicuous
nebula, named after its prominent star cluster, NGC 6559. Created from the same large molecular cloud
as the Lagoon, it lies around 5,000ly away. It is both an emission and a reflection nebula and is an
actve star-forming region.
Its common name derives from the prominent dark nebula in the centre which resembles a dragon
approaching the bright central star. This nebula is a region of cold gas and dust that is being back-lit by
the main bright emission nebula. It is estimated to be about 7ly long. It is formally catalogued as B303.
As with all these large, complex nebulae, the region is broken up into distinct sub-regions better to
characterize and define the region's nature. A good starting point for this is:
https://astrodrudis.com/ic-4685-and-ic-1274/.
Telescope: William Optics FLT110 refractor + 1.37x Barlow (f=1055mm)
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
Exposure: 36 x 300 sec, gain = 125, no filter
35 x 600 sec, gain = 250, Optolong 7nm H-α filter
Bortle 3-4 sky, ~15% Moon waxing
Field of View: approx. 0º 42’ x 1º 00’
Image processed and prepared in PixInsight and Photoshop Elements
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