Sh2-129 & Ou4 — The Flying Bat and the Ghost Squid

by Bob Meincke

Objects in field: LBN 445, LBN 449, LBN 453, Sh2-129, V0419 Cep, V0420 Cep

Equipment: Askar SQA106, Moravian Instruments C1x26000 Pro

Integration: 21h 57m 30s

Sh2-129 & Ou4 — The Flying Bat and the Ghost Squid Floating within the red hydrogen glow of Sh2-129, the Flying Bat Nebula, Ou4 appears less like an object sitting in space and more like something seen through it — a translucent blue OIII apparition suspended in Cepheus. The faint Squid Nebula was discovered in 2011 by French amateur astronomer Nicolas Outters, and its delicate structure remains…