Wizard Nebula in Narrowband

NGC 7380, widely known as the Wizard Nebula, is a complex emission region in the constellation Cepheus, located approximately 7,200 light-years from Earth. In this narrowband view, the nebula is revealed as a layered structure of ionized gas shaped by the intense radiation and stellar winds from the young star cluster embedded within it. Dense clouds of hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur are carved into arcs, cavities, and ridges, marking the boundaries where energetic starlight meets colder, denser material.

The color palette in this image highlights the physical processes at work inside the nebula. Ionized oxygen (O III) traces the hottest, most energetic regions, glowing in blue-cyan tones near the core, while hydrogen (H-alpha) dominates the surrounding gas, defining much of the nebula’s overall structure. Emission from sulfur (S II) outlines denser, shock-compressed regions along the outer edges, where stellar feedback is actively reshaping the cloud. Together, these layers provide a detailed look at an active stellar nursery, capturing the interplay between newly formed stars and the interstellar medium from which they emerged.