The rich celestial landscape around the aging double star IRAS 08544-4431

This colourful image shows the rich celestial landscape in the constellation of Vela (The Sails) around the aging double star IRAS 08544-4431, which appears as the moderately bright star at the exact centre of the picture. The image was created from images forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. It also includes several other interesting unrelated objects. At the bottom the Pencil Nebula (NGC 2736) is visible, along  with the orange clouds of star formation regions and the blue filaments of part of the Vela Supernova Remnant.