Amid the bright hydrogen glow of the Cygnus constellation, a menacing dark nebula takes the shape of a wolf mid-prowl. Known informally as Fenrir the Dark Wolf, this region of the sky is dominated by intricate filaments of ionized hydrogen (Ha) gas, illuminated in vivid red through over 11 hours of narrowband exposure. The dark “wolf” shape is formed by dense dust clouds that obscure the bright emission behind them, creating the illusion of a celestial predator on the hunt.

This HaLRGB composition was captured under Bortle 6 skies with a total integration time exceeding 21 hours, combining deep luminance and RGB channels to balance detail and color. The result is a rich tapestry of contrast and structure, with subtle background stars peppering the cosmic canvas. A haunting example of pareidolia in the interstellar medium, Fenrir waits in the shadows of Cygnus.

Image Description and Details : There are few objects of particular note in Lupus, the Wolf constellation, but one of them is this very opaque dark nebula, which lies in the foreground and blocks out the light from thousands of stars beyond. This nebula belongs to the group of 42 dark dust clouds of high visual opacity which are referred to by the initials "SL" in some atlases.

Telescope : Planewave CDK 17 F6.8
Camera : SBIG STXL 11002
Mount: Software Bisque Paramount ME
Pixel scale : 0.63 arcsec/pixel
FOV : 42 x 29 arcmins
Filters :HaLRGB
Integration: 14h30m
Ha 10x30m
L 12x15m R 9x15m G 8x15m B 9x15m
RA center: 16h 03m 29s
DEC center: -42°01′51″

Copyright: Vikas Chander