Total Exposure Time: 11:10 hours L(bin1:Ha); R(bin2:SII,Ha,R),G(bin2:OIII,G),B(bin2:OIII,B)
LRGB 180/330[60,180,70)/130[60,70]/130[60,70]/ 10 minute frames
This image is 1570x850 pixels

This full-frame version of this image was published as NASA APOD for February 1, 2014: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140201.html

Officina Stellare Riccardi-Honders Veloce RH 200 OTA
Officina Stellare - http://www.officinastellare.com/products_scheda.php?idProd=15
On my site - http://www.pbase.com/boren/officina_stellare_riccardihonders_veloce_rh_200
Deeper technical informaiton on the Riccardi-Honders design - http://www.telescope-optics.net/honders_camera.htm
SBIG STL11000M, AP GTO1200 mount, guided w/PHD

Dark shapes with bright edges winging their way through dusty NGC 6188 are tens of light-years long.
The 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.

Formed in that region only a few million years ago, the massive young stars of the embedded Ara OB1 association 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.

NGC 6193 is an open cluster containing 27 stars, with the bright mag. 5.5 double-star HR6167 visible at its center (visible to the unaided eye) at the very center of the Ara OB1 association.

The color palette that was used to create this wide-field image seeks to create a near-real view of the objects imaged: joining the deep red emissions from sulfur and hydrogen, with the green and blue hues strengthened by the emission of oxygen atoms (which is in fact green only).