IC4603 and The Heart of the Rho Ophiuchus Complex

This image shows the heart of the colourful Rho Ophiuchus Cloud Complex, centred around the prominent blue reflection nebula IC 4603. This is one of the closest star forming regions to Earth where the complex interplay of the dense molecular clouds and reflection nebulae in the area provide a beautiful display of ranges in the subtle hues of orange, blue and magenta.
The bright star towards the centre of this image is the 7.9 magnitude SAO184376 which is providing the main source of illumination for the blue reflection nebula. The contrasting red and yellow areas towards the right of this image are primarily due to reflected light from the nearby red giant star Antares, which lies just outside the field of view. The entire area is also populated by hundreds of faint reddish stars, which are typically very young T Tauri stars.