NGC 2018 - Emission nebula and star cluster in the constellation Mensa

In the southern part of the Large Magellanic Cloud there are large star-forming regions with massive star clusters that excite the gases to glow over enormous distances. On the left is NGC 2031, a globular cluster of our satellite galaxy.

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Date:19.05.2023
Optics: Planewave CDK 12.5 with Televue 0.8x reducer
Aperture: 318 mm
Focal Length: 2030 mm
Camera: Alccd12
Exposure: 12 x 300 s
Location: Chamaeleon Observatory, Onjala Lodge, Namibia
Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop
Diameter:1,000 light years (whole nebula area)
Distance:163,000 light years
annotated image

image field in the sky