NGC 4372 & The Dark Doodad Nebula

[Andy01]

The Dark Doodad Nebula drifts through southern skies toward the small constellation Musca, The Fly.
The dusty cosmic cloud is seen against rich starfields just south of the Coalsack Nebula and the Southern Cross.

Stretching for about 3 degrees across the center of this field of view, the Dark Doodad is punctuated near its upper tip by a yellowish globular star cluster NGC 4372.

NGC 4372 roams the halo of our Milky Way Galaxy, a background object some 20,000 light-years away and only by chance along our line of sight to the Dark Doodad.

The Dark Doodad's well-defined silhouette belongs to the Musca molecular cloud.

Fun fact, its better-known alliterative moniker was first coined by astro-imager and writer Dennis di Cicco in 1986 while observing Comet Halley from the Australian outback.
The Dark Doodad is around 700 light-years distant and over 30 light-years long.(Text © Nasa)

Is it just me, or does anyone else see Roadrunner streaking through the stars, leaving a long column of dust behind him? :question::D

Photographed from my astro-buddy The Bluester's dark site in Rural Victoria, before the winter clouds rolled in... (permanently it seems!)

Astrobin (https://www.astrobin.com/full/xb65l9/0/)

[strongmanmike]

Wow, a rather solid looking Doodad that Andy!...literally, it looks like a solid long, brown..? :whistle:..log :question: :P Great star field and the glob is beeeautiful! :thumbsup:

Mike

[CoolhandJo]

The QSI did a good job on this. nice.

[Peter Ward]

Not bad, but to be frank and fearless, the star colours are somewhat random.

Gamma Muscae has a B5V classification, hence like quite a few more stars in this vista should not be so remarkably blue (i.e. more white would be more accurate )

Stellar footprints are not quite as snappy as I would expect from that lovely Taka glass...but sure, seeing can be a bugger....and any reasonable data is always better than a nil result due waiting for pristine conditions . :thumbsup:

[Andy01]

Thanks Mike, can't unsee that now... :rolleyes: :lol:



Cheers Paul :)




So, it should look like this? https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/gamma-muscae-star

Probably yields a more accurate result, but also makes for a less impactful image... hmmm :question:

[RobF]

Nice doodad Andy. Will have to look up exactly where this is. We're spoiled for dust right now with the southern milky overhead. :)

[petershah]

Let me just pick my jaw up off the floor.....Just stunning!!!

[Andy01]

Cheers Rob, co-ords are RA center: 12h28m23s.0 DEC center: -71°42′57″
Yes, well we might be imaging again if the darn clouds would ever go away, I haven't taken a sub since May! :lol:



Well, that's certainly a very welcome & positive reaction, thanks very much Peter! :D

[Dave882]

This is such a cool target and wonderfully presented. Although kind of ominous looking. I wasjust imagining if I were flying through space and saw this coming up ahead I’d be inclined to give a very wide berth

[gregbradley]

Your trademark excellent framing strikes again.

An impactful image of an object that is often somewhat disinteresting in most images.

Greg.

[Andy01]

Thanks David, I imagine a great many of our favourite targets would be quite terrifying up close! Best observed safely from afar methinks. :D



Cheers Greg; appreciate the nice feedback! I was tempted to create a two-panel mosaic as this framing is a touch tight, but the weather gods are currently deferring to Thor's rule this winter in Victoria. :lol:

[markas]

A striking image Andy, very nicely framed.:thumbsup::thumbsup:
Mark

[Addos]

you get some really nice aura around your bright stars Andy, you'll have to share your secret one day :)

[Andy01]

Thanks Mark. These images, though technical, are just photographs after all, and so deserve some due consideration with framing for best composition rather than just plonking the target in the middle of the frame. :D




Well Adam, your wish is my command! :thumbsup:

All my secrets are revealed HERE (https://andysastro.com/photoshop-secrets-for-astrophotographers/) :D

[Pilgrim]

Wow! It's wonderful image!

[Cyberman]

Thanks for sharing this image Andy. I like this target and I like your photo, Rob.

[Andy01]

Many thanks Rob & Igor for the good vibes, much appreciated! :thumbsup:

[Paul Haese]

Nice image Andy or this somewhat odd looking object.

[RobF]

I'll probably get banned or something - is it a doodad because its an odd looking object, or doodad as in weird american name for private male anatomy?? :question::D

[Andy01]

Thanks Paul :)



Here you go-
“The Dark Doodad's well-defined silhouette belongs to the Musca molecular cloud. Still, its better-known alliterative moniker was first coined by astro-imager and writer Dennis di Cicco in 1986 while observing Comet Halley from the Australian outback.”
The Dark Doodad is around 700 light-years distant and over 30 light-years long. (Text © Nasa)