AAPOD2 - Amateur Astronomy Image Of the Day: 17 February 2021
"NGC 2030 & Friends"

Lying within the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to ours 158,000 light years away in the constellation of Doradus, this nebula complex presents a Ha and OIII rich tapestry of colourful nebulae and star clusters. Data was gathered over multiple nights in a moonless sky for a total of 17 hours of total exposure time.

This is a natural colour palette image (I.e. an LRGB image augmented with Ha and OIII narrow band data).

NGC 2011: is a Open Cluster
NGC 2014: is a HII emission nebula surrounding an open cluster of stars. Along with NGC 2020 it makes up what is called the Cosmic Reef.
NGC 2020: an Oxygen emission structure erupting from a single central Wolf-Rayet star. Along with NGC 2014 it makes up what is called the Cosmic Reef.
NGC 2021: is a Open Cluster
NGC 2029 / 2030 is a HII Ionized region and is listed as part of Lucke-Hodge stellar association 82, along with NGC 2032 and 2035. NOTE: The coordinates for NGC 2029 and NGC 2030 were reversed between Herschel's original Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars and the New General Catalogue. Consequently, there is much confusion over what designation the object in this image should get. Depending on which source you look at, it could be either. Most images I've seen indicate 2030 as the correct catalogue number. However, I'm still confused. (See the annotated version)
NGC 2032: is an emission nebula and consists of NGC 2029, NGC 2035 and NGC 2040.
NGC 2035: is part of a complex of nebulae and stars, including NGC 2032 and NGC 2040. It consists of large bright gas clouds which are separated by dark dust clouds. NGC 2029, NGC 2032 and NGC 2035 are star-forming regions
NGC 2040: is a supernova remnant which contains an open cluster whose stars have a common origin and are drifting together through space. There are three different types of stellar associations defined by their stellar properties. NGC 2040 is an OB association, a grouping that usually contains 10–100 stars of type O and B — these are high-mass stars that have short but brilliant lives.

For an annotated version see https://pbase.com/gailmarc/image/171342682/original