Just below the Orion nebula lies a faint, much less popular gathering of gas and dust known as the NGC 1999. At its center is an empty spot of space, known as the Cosmic Keyhole. Astronomers used to think this was a dark cloud called a Bok globule. "However, follow-up observations using a collection of telescopes, including ESA’s Herschel Space Observatory, revealed that the dark patch is actually an empty region of space. The origin of this unexplained rift in the heart of NGC 1999 remains unknown". (Text credit: European Space Agency)
This image proved to be very challenging. Little to no Oxygen signal left me with a mainly Ha and Sii signal. I combined these to create a HSS image, then added Oiii as a screen layer on top. I also layered the RGB, again very dim signal, on top to add some extra, subtle color variations. The resolution needed to really get good detail is just beyond my reach, as well. I really, really need a bigger telescope
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