Telescope: Planewave 17" f6.7 on a Planewave HD Mount. Camera: SBIG 16803 Exposure: 520 min Luminance, 340 of each RGB, HA 810. Total hours of exposure 39 .
SH2-278, Sharpless 278, in constellation Orion.
Taken at "Stellar Winds Observatory" a/k/a Stan Watson Observatory at Dark Sky New Mexico
"Billowing crimson waves of hydrogen gas cascade in an ocean of tranquility in this uncommon view of the rarely photographed emission nebula Sh2-278. Adding a ghostly presence to the proceedings are clouds of blue dust glowing by reflected starlight.
The most apparent component of this cosmic vista is the bright rimmed dark nebula LDN 1634 to the left of the image. Although small, but easily discernable, multiple red knots of nebulosity are visible near the center of LDN 1634. These constitute a flow of Herbig Haro objects, tiny jets launched by young protostars that glow by being collisionally excited.
The largest of these is known as RNO 40 and the RNO catalogue of 'red nebulous objects' was published by the astronomer Martin Cohen in 1980. The RNO 40 outflow is driven by a protostar called IRAS 05173-0555 and is also catalogued as HH 240.
Professional studies have concluded that Sh2-278 is either a remnant of the gas in the Orion Molecular Cloud that formed the Orion OB1 association or a cloud that was pushed to its current location by the winds and pressure of the OB association. In the sky, it is located north of Rigel."
Description" Sakib Rasool"