Located in the southern constellation Vela, NGC 3201 is a globular cluster approximately 16,300 light-years from Earth. This stellar system hosts hundreds of thousands of stars and is known for its unusually high radial velocity, suggesting a dynamic history within the Milky Way. Its relatively loose stellar concentration sets it apart from denser clusters like Omega Centauri.

Surrounding this ancient cluster is a surprising presence of faint H-alpha emission. Red hydrogen filaments thread across the field, likely unrelated to the cluster itself. Such emissions are rare in the vicinity of globular clusters, which typically contain little to no interstellar gas. The source of this emission remains unidentified but could be associated with galactic cirrus, an extended ionized structure, or even remnants of a past supernova in the line of sight.

Here is NGC 3201 taken with the Telescope Live CHI-1 setup. It is 22x 600 each of LRGB processed in APP and Photoshop.

Cooyright: Scotty Bishop