RCW 36 Nebula
RCW 36 (also designated Gum 20 is an emission nebula with reflection nebula components containing an open cluster in the constellation Vela. This H II region is part of a larger-scale star-forming complex known as the Vela Molecular Ridge a grouping of molecular clouds in the Milky Way that contain multiple sites of ongoing star-formation activity. RCW 36 is one of the sites of massive-star formation closest to our Solar System, at a distance of approximately 2300 light years.
Imaged in LRGB and H alpha on our RiDK 400 at El Sauce, Obstech, Chile
Integration Time: L 10 hours, RGB 5 hours per channel, H alpha 9 hours
Image Processing: Mike Selby