Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Vulpecula (Vul)  ·  Contains:  IC 4954
IC4954 / 4955 - Reflections, Jason Guenzel
IC4954 / 4955 - Reflections
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IC4954 / 4955 - Reflections

IC4954 / 4955 - Reflections, Jason Guenzel
IC4954 / 4955 - Reflections
Powered byPixInsight

IC4954 / 4955 - Reflections

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Description

IC4954 and IC4955 are reflection nebulae in the small constellation Vulpecula (the Fox). The nebula is estimated to be around 7000 light years from us. This is still a relatively active star forming region. Some of the central stars seen here are estimated 3-5 million years old (which is very young on stellar time scales). Infrared surveys have identified many proto-stars in the area which are not evident in visible light. The most visibly interesting feature is the sharp-edged “curtain” formed as the central stars carve out their own local neighborhood. This is another relatively small target with the brightest regions being only about 5 arcminutes across. Because we are peering toward the Milky Way, the layers of extinction and diffuse dust are evident in the star field. I was somewhat amazed at the density of the stars in the center of the frame. Even at this scale, it’s hard to jump even a few pixels and not see a star. By far, the star field created the largest challenge when processing this. I hope I did it justice.

Enjoy!

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