NGC6164 and NGC6165 (The Dragons Egg), imaged in HOO.
Located below the Dragons of Ara, the Dragons Egg is a Ha and Oiii nebula cloud that surrounds a binary star system, HD 148937. A recent research paper published in Science found that the system's two stars are large stars about 25 times the size of the Sun. Typically, stars that size do not have magnetic fields, but one of the stars does. In addition, it appears to be younger than its partner, which shouldn't occur in a binary system as both stars typically form simultaneously.
The team responsible for the paper also noted that the nebula surrounding the system is only about 7500 years old and shows high amounts of nitrogen, carbon and oxygen. These elements are typically found deep inside a star. The paper proposes that the binary system was a triple system with the smaller third star merging violently with one of the larger stars, refreshing it, giving it a magnetic field and throwing off material that created the nebula.
Beautiful nebula, violent history: Clash of stars solves stellar mystery
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