Gemini

IC 443 - Jellyfish Nebula

IC 443 (The Jellyfish Nebula) is a complex supernova remnant in Gemini, formed when a massive star exploded tens of thousands of years ago and its expanding shock front began interacting with dense surrounding molecular clouds. The result is a layered structure of ionized gas where hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur trace physically distinct shock regimes—fast, high-energy filaments and slower cooling material—making IC 443 an ideal target for deep narrowband imaging. This image is presented in two narrowband interpretations: SHO to emphasize shock-excited oxygen and sulfur filaments HOS to preserve hydrogen dominance while retaining oxygen-rich structure along the expanding shell