NGC 6726/27Corona Australis

The Corona Australis molecular cloud is one of the most fascinating regions in the southern sky. It represents a star-forming region located relatively close to us. The constellation Corona Australis, similar to the Northern Crown, is a beautiful yet rather inconspicuous constellation. Under the Namibian sky, these dark clouds can already be seen in detail through binoculars or a telescope.

One of the stars in Corona Australis  is T Corona Australis (T CrA), located at the center of the whitish reflection nebulae visible in the middle of the image. T CrA is part of a star cluster known as the Coronet Cluster. The entire region is filled with typical objects that indicate intense star formation, such as the reddish Herbig-Haro objects, various reflection nebulae, and so-called Young Stellar Objects (YSOs). The reflection nebulae in this region are cataloged in the NGC catalog. They include NGC 6726, NGC 6727, NGC 6729, and IC 4812.

In addition to these nearby objects, several background galaxies are visible in the image, their light shining through the molecular cloud. Also visible in the upper part of the image is the globular cluster NGC 6723, located about 28,000 light-years away.