The "Skull and Crossbones" Nebula: NGC 2467 in Puppis | Wide view from Namibia

The "Skull and Crossbones" Nebula: NGC 2467 in Puppis | Wide view from Namibia

NGC 2467 is located in the southern constellation of Puppis. This active star forming region—NGC 2467, otherwise known as the Skull and Crossbones Nebula—is as "sinister as it is beautiful." With an age of a few million years at most, it is a very active stellar nursery, where new stars are born continuously from large clouds of dust and gas. It is an image of dust, gas, and bright young stars, gravitationally bound into the form of a "grinning skull." 

Distance from Earth: ~4,500 light years

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the northeast, approximating a quadripoint, Zimbabwe lies less than 200 meters (660 feet) away along the Zambezi River near Kazungula, Zambia.

Klein Nauas is a locality in Khomas, Namibia and has an elevation of 1,363 meters.

Image Credit: Alessandro Cipolat Bares
Capture Location: Klein Nauas, Khomas, Namibia

Image Details: FSQ106 Takahashi, ZWO2600MC, Antlia 3nm, 17x600"
Image Date: May 20, 2026
Release Date: Oct. 20, 2026

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