Here’s an image of NGC 1491 (also designated Sharpless Sh2-206), a faint emission nebula that has an interesting shape. Some sources give it the name Fossil Footprint nebula.
Radiation pressure and stellar winds from the brightest star within the nebula has cleared a cavity in the gas clouds and is eroding them to form the surrounding prominent columns and pillars.
NGC1491 (82 min total exposure Jan 8, 2024)
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NGC 1491 is about 10,000 light-years away from us in the Perseus Arm of our sprial galaxy, the Milky Way and is about 100 light years across. It is a place where new stars are being born. Ultraviolet radiation from many massive hot new stars, especially the brightest one embedded within the “cave” in the center, ionizes the surrounding gas and causies it to glow reddish in visible light.
When I first saw my image of NGC 1491, I kept thinking “That reminds me of something I’ve seen before.” Then it came to me.
I used to work for Piedmont Airlines; they used a Speedbird logo before they disappeared in the airline merger mania of the 1980’s. Privately, I’m going to think of NGC 1491 as the Speedbird Nebula. What do you think?