NGC 6729 (also ESO 396-N*15 and Caldwell 68) is a magnitude +11.4 reflection and emission nebula located 400 light-years away in the constellation Corona Australis.
The nebula was discovered by German astronomer Johann Friedrich Julius Schmidt using a 15.75 cm (6.2 inch) f/15 Ploessl refractor at the Athens Observatory on the 15th June 1861.
Right Ascension 19h 01m 54.1s, Declination -36° 57' 12"
This fan-shaped nebula opens from the star R Coronae Australis toward the star T CrA to the south-east. Read more
A new image from ESO's Very Large Telescope gives a close-up view of the dramatic effects new-born stars have on the gas and dust from which they formed. Although the stars themselves are not visible, material they have ejected is colliding with the surrounding gas and dust clouds and creating a surreal landscape of glowing arcs, blobs and streaks. The star-forming region NGC 6729 is part of one of the closest stellar nurseries to the Earth and hence one of the best studied. This new image from ESO's Very Large Telescope gives a close-up view of a section of this strange and fascinating region. Read more