Gum15, an emission nebula, is a little-known object located in the southern constellation Vela at a distance of about 3,000 light-years from Earth. The glowing cloud is a perfect example of an HII region. This nebula has many similarities to the more famous HII region, Messier 20, the Trifid Nebula located in the constellation Sagittarius. It is shaped by aggressive winds flowing from the stars within and around it. The bright star in the center of the nebula is HD 74804, a double star.

The blueish whisps are dusty streamers from the scattering of blue light of the star HD 74804. Dark dust all throughout the nebula is detected through a thick lane in the middle of the nebula. The material is perhaps behind the star, on the far side from our viewpoint, therefore we don't see the scattered light. Also, to the lower left, you can see what looks like the bright outline of a dark mountain, pointing inward toward the star. That feature is designated SFO 58.
(Insight Obvservatory)