This cosmic skyscape features glowing gas and dark dust clouds along side the young stars of NGC 3572. A beautiful emission nebula and star cluster in far southern skies, the region is often overlooked by astroimagers in favor of its brighter neighbor, the nearby Carina Nebula. Stars from NGC 3572 are toward the upper left in the telescopic frame that would measure about 100 light-years across at the cluster's estimated distant of 9,000 light-years. The visible interstellar gas and dust is part of the star cluster's natal molecular cloud. Dense streamers of material within the nebula, eroded by stellar winds and radiation, clearly trail away from the energetic young stars. They are likely sites of ongoing star formation with shapes reminiscent of the cosmic Tadpoles of IC 410 better known to northern skygazers. In the coming tens to hundreds of millions of years, gas and stars in the cluster will be dispersed though, by gravitational tides and by violent supernova explosions that end the short lives of the massive cluster stars.
Info courtesy of NASA Science.

Telescope: William Optics FLT132

Camera: QHY9 Mono @ -20c

Filter Wheel: QHY 7 position Ultra Slim

Filters: QHY 36mm unmounted L R G B, Baader 36mm unmounted HA OIII SII

Guidng: QHY OAG

Guide Camera: QHY5L-II

Mount: AZ-EQ6

Mount Control: EQASCOM

Focusing: SharpSky Pro and Sequence Generator Pro 3 (automated)

Light Box by Exfso

Capture Software: Sequence Generator Pro 3

Guiding Software: PHD2

Calibration and Stacking Software: PixInsight

Processing Software: PixInsight

Number and Type of Data Frames: L= Xmin, R= 12x5min, G= 12x5min,
B= 12x5min

Ha= 20x15min, SII= x min, OIII= 20x15min.

Binning: 1x1

Total Image Time: 13 hrs

Location: Lockleys Observatory B, Tanunda, Sth Australia