The cosmic squid

SH2-129 is a relatively faint emission nebula in Cepheus, a neighbor of the larger and more often imaged IC 1396. Sometimes referred to as the "Flying Bat" nebula, this region is characterized by Ha emission as well as a small, mixed emission and reflection nebula (vdB 140). What is most remarkable about this region is a recent discovery made in 2011 by Nicolas Outters, called the "Squid Nebula" due to its shape, but more officially called Ou4. This region is characterized by a very faint OIII emission that has a bipolar shape reminscent of a planetary nebula, seen as the teal-colored region in the image looking like a squid, hence the name. Although it was originally thought to perhaps represent a planetary nebula derived from an unknown, dying star, more recent evidence suggests that Ou4 is located within SH2-129 itself and is a bipolar outflow emitting in the OIII spectrum, moving at the same rate as SH2-129, and possibly emanating from a triple star system located in the center of Ou4 (HR8119, visible above as the bright star in the center of the Squid).

HOO Image with RGB stars!