LDN 1251 is another remarkable object in my favorite constellation of Cepheus.
The dark cloud is a part of the Cepheus Flare molecular complex. It is about 300pc away and is a home for several molecular outflows and dense regions that serve as a perfect location for new star formation. These regions are also associated with famous Herbig-Haro objects. These are bright emission nebulae formed when narrow jets of partially ionized gas ejected by stars collide with nearby clouds of gas. The other curiosity is a pair of nice spiral galaxies that hide behind the clouds that give them characteristic color.
This image was acquired over a couple of nights at my regular dark site. I went heavy on luminance as the clouds are very dim yet have little color information. The small dim objects were undoubtedly helped by transparent atmosphere and good seeing.
The supporting images shows location of the most prominent Herbig-Haro objects associated with red emission.
By the way, is there a common name for this nebula? I see a swimming skeleton with the fish tail
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