Professional observation and photography of the Flying Bat and Squid Nebula
Arab Weather - Engineer Malek Sahawneh professionally monitored and photographed the Flying Bat Nebula Sh2-129 , which is one of the very difficult nebulae to monitor and photograph for many reasons, including its extreme dimness. This nebula is about 2,000 light-years away from us, and is a huge cloud of red hydrogen gas in the depths of our galaxy. At its heart, the Squid Nebula (OU4) glows blue, and is believed to be the result of a low-mass star approaching the end of its life, as it expels its outer layers in two opposite directions .
The filming took place in the Fuheis area of Jordan, where light pollution levels reached approximately 7 on the Portal scale. The project spanned several months, between June and September 2025, for technical and astronomical reasons. The actual filming lasted several nights, with a total of 30 exposure hours, each frame lasting 5 minutes.
The Flying Bat and Squid Nebula: A cosmic painting in colors that reveals the secrets of star death
This work utilized its own telescopes and instruments, including the Askar ACL200 telescope and the ASI2600MM DUO camera, along with the Skywatcher Star Adventurer GTI tracking system. Advanced filters were used to capture ionized hydrogen (Hα) and ionized oxygen (OIII) signals, and the data were then combined and processed using PixInsight software to produce a scientific color palette based on the HOO system.
The Flying Bat Nebula (Sh2-129) is located in the constellation Cepheus. It appears as a glowing red cloud extending more than two degrees into the sky, forming arcs and filaments of gas that resemble the wings of a bat in space. Although it is faint compared to other nearby nebulae, it is distinguished by the unique blue structure of the Squid Nebula OU4 , discovered in 2011 by French amateur astronomer Nicolas Otters. This nebula shines with the doubly ionized oxygen (O III) radiation line, giving it a beautiful blue glow against the background of red hydrogen. Ou4 has a two-lobed shape resembling the extended arms of a squid, and could be as large as 50 light-years if it were located at the same distance as the Bat Nebula. Although initially considered a planetary nebula resulting from the death of a star, more recent studies indicate that it is a massive gas jet emanating from the triple star HR 8119 at its center, possibly blasted out into space tens of thousands of years ago .
The result is not just a beautiful image, but a cosmic narrative about the life cycle of stars; how, upon their decline, they transform into exquisite celestial paintings, scattering light and color across infinite space. It's a reminder that the universe, even in the moments of its dying stars, never ceases to write new lines of beauty .
See also:
What's so rare about this year's Harvest Moon?
The Lake Nebula observed from Qasr al-Kharana: a window into the depths of the universe
Browse on the official website