NGC 6164 — The Dragon Hatchling

by Bob Meincke

Objects in field: NGC 6164, NGC 6165

Equipment: Sky-Watcher Explorer 200PDS, ZWO ASI585MC

Integration: 15h 30m

NGC 6164 — The Dragon Hatchling NGC 6164/6165, better known as the Dragon’s Egg Nebula, is a bipolar emission nebula in the southern constellation Norma. It surrounds the massive stellar system HD 148937, whose intense radiation and past mass-loss events helped shape the glowing gas into the unusual hourglass-like shell seen here. The nebula is roughly 4 light-years across and is commonly placed…