NGC 6188 Dragons of Ara

The NGC 6188 emission nebula is found near the edge of an otherwise dark large molecular cloud in the southern constellation Ara, about 4,000 light-years away from us. Born in that region only a few million years ago, the massive young stars sculpt the fantastic shapes and power the nebular glow with stellar winds and intense ultraviolet radiation. The recent star formation itself was likely triggered by winds and supernova explosions, from previous generations of massive stars, that swept up and compressed the molecular gas. The field of view spans about four full Moons, corresponding to about 150 light years at the estimated distance of NGC 6188.