Nebula NGC 6188: The "Dragons of Ara"

Nebula NGC 6188: The "Dragons of Ara"

Are these sky dragons, along with a dragon's egg? 

Although it might appear that way, these dragons are illusions made of thin gas and dust. The emission nebula NGC 6188, home to the glowing clouds, is found about 4,000 light years away near the edge of a large molecular cloud unseen at visible wavelengths, in the southern constellation Ara (the Altar). Massive, young stars of the embedded Ara OB1 association were formed in that region only a few million years ago, sculpting the dark shapes and powering 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. 

Joining NGC 6188 on this cosmic canvas, visible toward the lower right, is rare emission nebula NGC 6164, also created by one of the region's massive O-type stars. Similar in appearance to many planetary nebulae, NGC 6164's striking, symmetric gaseous shroud and faint halo surround its bright central star near the bottom edge. 

The reddish glow of the dragons’ backs is ionized hydrogen, ‘lit up’ by light from the bright young stars—only a few million years old—in the nebula. Of these young stars, 27 form the beaming open cluster NGC 6193. This gives a background glow that further defines the outline of the dragons. These young stars have also been blowing off intense stellar winds since they ignited, sculpting and shaping the gas and dust into the mythical scene we see today.

Image Credit: Ian Inverarity

Text Credit: NASA Goddard
Release Date: April 9, 2024

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