The area of nebulosity surrounding the bright star, Lambda Centauri, is generally known as the "Running Chicken Nebula". I am sure that I am not alone in saying that the image of the running chicken escapes me, even on wider field images. Nevertheless, it is a grand area of activity with the hydrogen gas glowing brightly under the influence of radiation from nearby stars.
For this image I decided to make a feature of Lambda Centauri by placing it in the centre of the field. I think that it makes for a nice contrast between the blue/white star and the rich area of red and glowing nebulosity surrounding it. Also captured in this image is the planetary nebula PK294-00.1 which is lurking in the bottom right hand corner.
During the capture of data for this image, I was also running simultaneous data acquisition project with a Canon 60Da piggy backed on top of the TSA120/QSI camera combination. The 60Da was capturing data through a Tak FSQ106 OTA. Click on the link below to view the wider field image taken of this area with the 60Da.
I trust that you enjoy the view and thank you for looking.
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