This image of the Prawn Nebula (IC 4628) is a closer view than is normally found. If you include all its ‘suburbs’, the Prawn covers quite a significant patch near the midpoint of the Scorpion. This area of the sky is well-known amongst astrophotographers as a rich hunting ground for these type of emission nebulae. IC 4628 is a fairly active stellar nursery, and it contains several hot, young, and bright stars, including a couple of rare (-ish) and short-lived O-type stars. When they go, the resulting supernovae will seed the neighbouring gas with some heavier elements, and the shock waves will begin star formation. The deep red colour in the image is due to it being photographed in H-alpha light, which is one of the few available techniques for imaging these regions when the sky is lit by a bright moon.
Photo stuff:
Date: 14 August 2022
Constellation: Scorpius
R.A.: 16h 56m 59.9s
Dec.: -40° 23' 34.3"
Photo stuff: 53 subs@120s ea.; ISO 1600; Canon 60Da on Meade RCX400 16” f/8 with a .7 focal reducer