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Sh 2-310

Submitted by Kevin Jardine on 24 June, 2007 - 22:14

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 enormous HII region Sh 2-310 is ionised by two multiple star systems (Tau Canis Majoris and UW Canis Majoris) each made up of several O-class stars. Sh 2-310 is located at a distance of 1500 parsecs and with a diameter of more than 200 parsecs, is one of the largest known HII regions in the Milky Way.

Despite its prominence, this nebula does not have a common name. Perhaps this could be the Dog Arch, given its arch-like shape and its location in the direction of the constellation Canis Majoris.

South and well in front of Sh 2-310 is a region ionised by the Wolf-Rayet star WR 6 (EZ CMa) at 575 parsecs. The nebulae in this region include Sh 2-303, Sh 2-304, and Sh 2-308.

Visible on the rim of Sh 2-310 but further away at 2500 parsecs is RCW 14, which is the visible part of the [JKK96] B molecular cloud and is ionised by the O8 V double star HD 57236.


Sh 2-303
Sh 2-301
Sh 2-306
Sh 2-304
Sh 2-305
BFS64
Sh 2-292
Sh 2-293
Sh 2-295
Sh 2-296
Sh 2-297
Sh 2-310
Sh 2-308
Sh 2-309
Sh 2-298
RCW 17
Sh 2-311
RCW 14
IC 2177