This image captures a supernova remnant (SNR) and 3 emission regions located in the constellation of Vela at a declination of -44 degrees.
The filamentary object is a part of the Vela supernova remnant, located 800 light years away in the southern constellation of Vela. It is estimated that the supernova exploded approximately 12,000 years ago. The Vela SNR is one of the closest supernova remnants to earth. The region captured in this image shows a spiraling helical length of twisting OIII filaments. My favorite part of the image are the faint reddish Ha wisps which follow some of the leading arcs of the greenish OIII filaments. The weak strength of these emissions, combined with the low declination of the target from my viewing site, makes this a tough object for me to capture.
It is interesting to compare this SNR with the
Cygnus Loop, which is similar in actual diameter. The Vela SNR is much closer and much younger, yet much fainter.
Gum 19, also known as RCW 34, is the bright red emission region at the top of the image. It is located 22,000 light years away, is 3 arc-minutes long, and has a size of 20 light years. It is ionized by the huge, hot star V391 Velorum, barely visible as the small white dot inside of the nebula. I like the sharp edge of the top of the nebula.
Gum 20 is the bright red emission region on the left. This object is located 2300 light years away and is also known as RCW 36. It is 17 arc-minutes long and is smaller in actual size than Gum 19, at a size of 11 light years. Gum 20 is ionized by a large 350 member star cluster which is hidden behind the dust. Its bright red patches remind me of a smaller version of the Cat’s Paw Nebula (Gum 61-64).
Gum 18 is the red emission feature to the right of the Spiral Flame.
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