File:Ou4 sh2-129 wf c lshorgb 2193m+3489m+2060m+120m 7876m 131h.jpg

English: Flying Bat and Squid nebulae also includes LBN445, LBN449, LBN453, v419 Cephei.

Total integration: 7876 minutes/131+ hours (2193 x 300s for Ha + 3489 x 300s for O3 + 2074 x 300s for S2 + 60 x 120s for OSC).

Cameras: QHY163M (16mp mono) and QHY247C (24mp OSC) CMOS cooled to -20 and -15 degrees C. Telescopes: Takahashi FC100DF Steinheil fluorite doublet and Stellarvue SV70T triplet apochromat refractors @ f/4.9 and @ f/4.8. Reducers: Takahashi FC-35 (0.66x) and SFFR70-APO (0.8x). Mount: Paramount MyT. Filters: 1.25" Astrodon 5nm Ha, 3nm O3, 3nm S2 and 2" Baader UV-IR-Cut Software: TheSkyX Pro, Sharpcap, PixInsight, Topaz Studio 2.

http://ram.org/ramblings/cosmos/

The Squid nebula (ou4) occupies over one degree of the night sky, representing the largest angular extent ever found in a planetary nebula. Known colloquially as the giant squid nebula, it is physically nearly 50 light years across. This bipolar nebula could be one of the nearest of its type known, situated around 2300 light years away, though it being a planetary nebula needs confirmation. Even though it is big and close, you're not likely to find it easily. It is an extremely faint nebula emitting primarily O3 signal and resides within the larger Flying Bat nebula (sh2-129) which tends to overshadow it, making it a challenging target to image.

The Squid shape is created by the outflow of material driven by a triple system of hot, massive stars catalogued as HR8119 (blue hypergiant) as well as the pulsating variable star v419 Cephei (red supergiant) seen near the center. While their shapes do their names justice, to me, the Squid seated within the Flying Bat more resembles a hand holding an infinity stone (viewed sideways) rather than a Bat carrying a bejeweled Squid on its back.

Seeing the Squid situated within the Flying Bat (which apparently has been confirmed) brightly light up in Ha and S2 emissions makes for a fascinating study in contrast and perspective. The Flying Bat and Squid project/series became a huge undertaking for me, ending up with a total of more than 131 hours in the final integrated widefield image of both objects.