Gum 15

In the constellation Vela lies the well‑known Vela supernova remnant, which many astrophotographers in the Southern Hemisphere love to capture. A bit north of this remnant stretches a region with numerous H II regions known as the Vela Molecular Ridge. One of the smaller gas clouds there is Gum 15, which looks quite similar to the Trifid Nebula. It’s a classic star‑forming region. The central energy source is the cluster Collinder 197 (also known as ESO 313‑13) and, in particular, the star HD 74804, which appears just above the large dark cloud in the image. This B3 star provides the UV radiation needed to ionize the surrounding hydrogen. Also striking are the numerous bluish reflection nebulae that give the entire cloud an extra blue tint.

In the central area there’s also a condensed region called SFO 58, which clearly shows the so‑called bright rims – bright edges caused by radiation from HD 74804. The combination of the small IMX585 sensor and the 800 mm focal length of the telescope makes the relatively small nebula fill the frame, a view you’d usually only expect from larger telescopes.