Sharpless 132, LBN 473

Sharpless 132 is a very faint emission nebula often overlooked by astrophotographers. It’s on the border of the constellations of Cepheus and Lacerta. It’s estimated to be about 10,000 light years away. The star field is very rich, so the nebula is almost lost amidst all the stars.

It’s home to Wolf-Rayet star WR153ab. These massive stars are nearing their transition to supernova or black hole. In the OIII wavelength there appears to be a river of blue gasses running up through the nebula. However, this river is actually part of a ring nebula being pushed by the WR star.