NGC 6726, 6727, 6726, Ic 4812

Description from AOPOD: Cosmic dust clouds and young, energetic stars inhabit this telescopic vista, less than 500 light-years away toward the northern boundary of Corona Australis, the Southern Crown.

The dust clouds effectively block light from distant background stars in the Milky Way. But the striking complex of reflection nebulae cataloged as NGC 6726, 6727, and IC 4812 produce a characteristic blue color as light from the region's young hot stars is reflected by the cosmic dust. The dust also obscures from view stars still in the process of formation. At the left, smaller yellowish nebula NGC 6729 bends around young variable star R Coronae Australis.

Just below it, glowing arcs and loops shocked by outflows from embedded newborn stars are identified as Herbig-Haro objects. On the sky this field of view spans about 1 degree. That corresponds to almost 9 light-years at the estimated distance of the nearby star forming region.

Image Processing: Mark Hanson

Data: SSRO Arcive 2017, Telescope:16" RCOS f11.2 Planewave HD Mount, Camera: FLI 16803, Location: SSRO, Cito Chile

Enjoy Mark

NGC 6729

NGC 6729 the fan shaped object in the center of the image is a reflection and emission nebula that is a variable nebula located 424 light years from Earth in one of the closest star forming regions. It is powered by the irregular variable star, R Coronae Australis (R CrA). NGC 6726/6727 are blue reflection nebulae, where bright stars are embedded in a large cloud of dust which reflects the blue light of the stars. Herbig Haro objects are shown as small arcs of glowing gas. They originate as outflows from embryonic stars that are still forming inside the surrounding gas and dust.  Framing this spectacle is Bernes 157 a dark nebula that is so dense that stars inside the nebula and behind it cannot shine through.

Imaged in LRGB on our Planewave CDK 1000 (luminance) and CDK 700 RGB color at Observatorio El Sauce, Chile Image

Processing: Mark Hanson and Mike Selby 

Enjoy,  Mike & Mark