#🐾 The #Cepheus #Zoo
This #celestial field, located in the #constellation Cepheus, hosts three #nebulae with strikingly different characteristics — a true cosmic zoo where #interstellar matter reveals itself in multiple forms:
#🦇 The Flying #Bat Nebula
An emission nebula dominated by ionized hydrogen (H-alpha).
➡️ Its deep red glow marks regions where young, energetic stars excite surrounding gas.
#🦑 The Giant #Squid Nebula
Also an emission nebula, but rich in ionized oxygen (OIII).
➡️ Its vivid #cyan color gives it an almost #ethereal appearance, shaped by very different physical conditions within the same star field.
#🐴 The #Seahorse Nebula
A dark nebula.
➡️ It doesn’t emit light — it blocks it. Its shape emerges by absorbing the bright background behind it, forming a perfectly sculpted cosmic silhouette.
⸻
#✨ What makes this image remarkable
• Three distinct #astrophysical processes captured in a single frame
• A natural #contrast between #emission and #absorption
• #Colors that come from real #physics not #artistic invention
📷 Pavel Vorobiev
⸻
#Astronomy #Astrophotography #Cepheus #Nebula #DeepSky #OIII #HydrogenAlpha #Cosmos #Nostr
#beautiful