Ou4 Giant Squid Nebula

Discover the surprising Giant Squid Nebula Ou4, difficult to capture, in order to print it and frame it at home or to give as a gift to a loved one! The high definition image will come to you in .jpg and .png format so you can do what you want with it (frame, offer, make a postcard or greeting card).
 
The Calamar planetary nebula was discovered by amateur astronomer and astrophotographer Nicolas Outters in 2011. Located in the constellation Cepheus, it is itself located at the heart of another nebula which is that of the Bat or sh2 -129. 
 
Its late discovery is due to the fact that it is visibly almost entirely thanks to ionized oxygen atoms which require, in terms of astrophotography technique, long exposure times. 
 
Still little-known due to its novelty, some studies suggest that the nebula is indeed located within the Bat Nebula, and not far away simply in the foreground. It would be the result of a triple system of very hot and massive stars which would lose their material, thus creating this original shape.
 
Nicolas Outters has been practicing astrophotography since 1999. He manages several observation sites in France and Chile.
 
The image shown is the result of using a restrictive L-Ultimate filter to highlight the hydrogen and oxygen layers. The treatment is particularly delicate because it consists of bringing out the layer of oxygen, in blue, without increasing the rest. It was therefore necessary to create different masks to reinforce this dominant blue while keeping the hydrogen which is all around and which comes from the Bat Nebula, at correct levels.
 
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