Deep-sky observers know about the wispy nebulae inhabiting the constellation Auriga. There’s IC 405, the Flaming Star Nebula, and also a somewhat fainter large nebula called IC 410. The nebulosity surrounds an open star cluster, and the object lies a few degrees southwest of the bright Messier clusters M36 and M38. Within IC 410 is a curious structure, a pair of parallel, twisting cometary nebulae nicknamed the Tadpoles.
California astroimager Tony Hallas has long been at the head of his class in terms of stunning quality. Check out Tony’s latest images of the Tadpole structure, which was taken in December 2013 from Foresthill, California, using an 11-inch Celestron Edge HD scope at f/10, a QSI 583 CCD camera, and multiple stacked exposures.
I can’t remember ever seeing an image of this object as amazingly beautiful.
Congrats, Tony!