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IC4628 · Prawn Nebula

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Prawn Nebula
Credit KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Adam Block · CC BY 4.0
Chinese name对虾星云
TypeEmission nebula
ConstellationSco
RA16h57m
Dec−40°
Apparent magnitude7.3ᵐ
HemisphereSouthern
Best seasonSummer
DifficultyModerate
Focal length短—中焦 300–700mm

About

Roughly 6,000 light-years away near the tail of Scorpius, the Prawn Nebula is a vast red emission cloud some 250 light-years across, named for its shrimp-like shape. Rich in hydrogen and ionized by embedded young clusters, it is threaded with dark dust lanes. Set in a dense Milky Way field, it pairs well with nearby open clusters for wide-field narrowband work.