The Rho Ophiuchi region is my favorite summer target. It has almost everything that makes a perfect astrophotograph: the red glow of ionized hydrogen, blue and yellow reflection nebulae, delicate interstellar dust, and star clusters.
At the center of the frame shines Antares, a red supergiant on the border between Scorpius and Ophiuchus. Its warm light illuminates the surrounding dust clouds and gives them their golden tones.
To the right of Antares is M4, one of the nearest globular clusters. It lies about 5,500 light-years away, far behind the clouds of Rho Ophiuchi, and by a lucky alignment is not hidden behind a dense veil of cosmic dust.
The left side of the frame is filled with the dense star fields of the Milky Way, looking toward its central regions.
| Camera | Nikon Z6 II |
| Optics | Viltrox AF 135mm f/1.8 LAB |
| Mount | UMi 17S |
| ISO | 800 |
| F-ratio | f/3.2 |
| Exposure | 286 × 60 s |
| Total Integration | 4h 46m |
| Processing | Siril, GraXpert, Affinity |
Annotated
