IC 2966 - Reflection Nebula in the constellation Musca

The small reflection nebula is only 2 degrees away from the neighboring "Running Chicken" nebula and is therefore often overseen. That is a pity, because the nebula shows some delicate structures in the interior as well as a small dark cloud in the southern part and a faint Hα-transition towards the north.

larger image
Date:18.-20.05.2023
Optics: Planewave CDK 12.5 with Televue 0.8x reducer
Aperture: 318 mm
Focal Length: 2030 mm
Camera: Alccd12
Exposure: 57 x 600 s
Location: Chamaeleon Observatory, Onjala Lodge, Namibia
Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop
Diameter:25 light years
Distance:14,500 light years
annotated image

image field in the sky