The Northern Jewelbox in Scorpius

Had Messier been able to see this area of the night sky he would have certainly listed the more Northern version of the Jewelbox among the objects in his catalog.  Appearing easily to the naked eye in dark skies it would be easily to mistake this for a comet.  The coma of the comet would be the tightly packed open cluster NGC 6231, seen just to the right of center here.
The Nebula, IC 4628, looks very much like a comet's tail to the naked eye.  
Two other small open clusters, NGC 6242 and NGC 6248, surround the nebula at top.  
Stunning through binoculars, these objects standout brightly among one of the most beautiful areas of the night sky.

Location:  Texas Star Party 2003 near Fort Davis, Texas
Seeing: 7/10
Transparency: 9/10
Date and Time: May 1, 2003 @ 4:15 AM CST
Equipment: 300mm Nikkor ED lens @ f2.8 guided with Meade 208xt
Length: 20 minutes
Film: Kodak Royal Gold 400
Processing Information: Slight cropping, levels/color adjustment and contrast increase. 

Exposure Notes: Conditions were near perfect for shooting this object with dark skies, good seeing and no wind.  

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