Hover your mouse over each blue dot for the name of the object, or click on the dot for a detail page. This map was created using the all-sky hydrogen-alpha map produced by Douglas Finkbeiner from data collected by the WHAM, VTSS and SHASSA hydrogen-alpha surveys.
The Gum nebula is dominated by the huge bright bubble near its centre - this is the ten thousand year old Vela supernova remnant (Gum 16). At a distance of only 250 parsecs, the Vela supernova remnant sits on the near side, or just in front, of the Gum nebula. A few outlying nebulae are visible in this image. Two lie at unknown distances but appear to be part of the huge ridge of nebulosity at the northern edge of the Gum nebula: Sh 2-312 and RCW 22. The giant HII region RCW 42 lies far beyond in the Carina arc at a distance of 6400 parsecs.