The Star Funnel Nebula

The Star Funnel Nebula (also known as Sh 2-126 and LBN 428) is an emission nebula, located at a distance of around 1,200 light years in the constellation of Lacerta.

The Star Funnel Nebula, is the brightest nebulous structure that is associated with the Lacerta OB1 association. Responsible for powering the nebula is 10 Lacertae (abbreviated to 10 Lac), a nearby O9V type star, with a mass of 27 solar masses and a temperature of 36,000 Kelvin. Together with other nearby stars, they are responsible for the yellowish appearance of the nebula. The Star Funnel is embedded in a much larger nebula that consists of warm hydrogen which appears red at optical images.

Image: Composite optical image of Sh2-126 taken with the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, in Arizona. The image was created using broadband filters that are centred at 436 nm (B-band, blue), 537 nm (V-band, green), and 805 nm (I-band,orange) and a narrow band filter that is centred on the emission of ionised hydrogen (Hα, red).

Image Credit: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) and H. Schweiker (WIYN and NOIRLab/NSF/AURA)