Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cepheus (Cep)  ·  Contains:  LBN 449  ·  LBN 453  ·  Sh2-129
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The Squid (Ou4) in HOO, M.J. Post
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The Squid (Ou4) in HOO

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
The Squid (Ou4) in HOO, M.J. Post
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The Squid (Ou4) in HOO

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Description

Here's an image from Dark Sky New Mexico acquired on Sept 8, 2021.   It's a false-color narrowband image  presented with the HOO palette.   I like this palette because colors are almost natural.  The Squid Nebula (central blue feature) is nearly encircled by the Flying Bat Nebula, SH2-129, which is too large for my field of view.   According to recent studies, their apparent coincidence is a 3D fact, not just a 2D apparition.  The bipolar Squid (Ou4) is huge - nearly 50 light years in length - and hence is quite old and very faint.  This cloud of ionized oxygen is illuminated by, and probably originates from, a triple system of hot massive stars in its center.  It is 2300 light years away in the constellation of Cepheus.

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The Squid (Ou4) in HOO, M.J. Post

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