Chamaeleon Molecular Cloud Complex (Alpha Zhang)

Celestial hemisphere: Southern · Constellation: Chamaeleon (Cha) · Contains: IC 3104 · The star β Cha · The star ε Cha · bet Cha · eps Cha

Chamaeleon Molecular Cloud Complex

Located in the southern skies, the Chamaeleon Molecular Cloud Complex is one of the closest star-forming regions to Earth, lying approximately 500-600 light-years away. This deep sky image captures the intricate web of dust and gas stretching across the constellation Chamaeleon, enveloping newly formed stars and young stellar objects hidden within.

This project was particularly challenging due to the faint nature of the dust structures, which required long integration times and careful processing to reveal the delicate details. The annotated version highlights some of the key regions and features of this fascinating molecular cloud.

Feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions. Clear skies!

Original
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Final
D

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Status	Advanced success
Started	...
PixInsight job	1AY91V8Z9UUJY8DJ1FA6KHDH44UTPGU1
PixInsight queue size	n/a
PixInsight stage	END_TASK

RA (center)	12h36m49s.71
RA (top/left)	13h23m05s.31
RA (top/right)	11h49m11s.60
RA (bottom/right)	11h18m46s.98
RA (bottom/left)	13h56m04s.27

Dec (center)	-79°44′11″.9
Dec (top/left)	-76°42′15″.0
Dec (top/right)	-76°45′02″.9
Dec (bottom/right)	-82°03′38″.8
Dec (bottom/left)	-81°58′40″.7

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Chamaeleon Molecular Cloud Complex

Chamaeleon Molecular Cloud Complex

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Acquired at

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