NGC 2020 and lots of friends

Two unlikely nebulae located side-by-side. The pinkish nebula on the middle bottom, known as NGC 2014, is an ionized gas cloud comprised almost entirely of hydrogen. A cluster of stars are responsible for the characteristic glow accompanying the ionization. When the stellar winds pierced through the galaxy, hydrogen atoms were stripped of their electrons when they came in contact with ultraviolet radiation streaming from young, energetic stars . The clouds of gas were then reborn when the hydrogen and their electrons recombined.

Its blueish partner (pictured on the bottom right) is NGC 2020. Its bubble-like cavity was naturally carved out as gaseous material was carried away by stellar winds.In contrast to NGC 2014, the bluish hue seen here is the work of one single, massive, unstable star called a Wolf-Rayet star. Instead of acting as an agent for the ionization of hydrogen, this star is responsible for ionizing surrounding oxygen atoms. (Hence the variation in color)

The rose-like Dragon Head Nebula NGC 2032/2040 is pictured to the left.

See the labeled version by Sakib Rasool for all the wonderful objects

Data from El Sauce, Chile 17” Planewave CDK

RGB - 120 Min each, HA - 630-min, O3 - 630 min