Iris Nebula (NGC 7023)
The Iris Nebula (NGC 7023, Caldwell 4) is a bright reflection nebula in the constellation of Cepheus, some 1,300 light years away from us. The central (blue) part, which is 6 light years wide, is dust illuminated by a very
Tag: nebula
Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146)
Nearly 15 light-years in size and located in Cygnus, some 4,000 ly away from us, this beautiful object is another stellar nursery, IC 5146 or Sh 2-125, the Cocoon Nebula. The ‘cocoon’ we see is an open cluster embedded within
Elephant’s Trunk Nebula (IC 1396)
IC 1396 is one of the largest ionized gas nebula in the night sky (occupies full 3 degrees in the sky — which is six diameters of the Moon when seen from Earth). It is located in the constellation of
Heart and Soul Nebulae (IC1805 and IC1848)
The Heart Nebula (IC 1805, Sharpless 2-190, aka Running Dog Nebula), shown on the photograph in the lower right, and the Soul Nebula (Westerhout 5, IC 1848, Sharpless 2-199, aka Embryo Nebula) are located in the Perseus Arm of the
Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635)
The Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635, Sharpless 162, or Caldwell 11) is a bubble of interstellar atomic hydrogen (HII region) ionized by the strong ultraviolet radiation on the O-type hot star (BD+60°2522) that is within the nebula, but not in the
Pelican Nebula (IC 5070)
The Pelican Nebula (IC 5070), is another one of Milky Way’s stellar nurseries. It earned the name due to its shape when viewed in the visible spectrum, such as on this photo: the shape is defined by border of cold,
Giant Squid Nebula (Outters 4)
Outters 4 (Ou4) is a very mysterious object, not only because it does not have its own wikipedia page in English. Colloquially called a Squid (or a Giant Squid) Nebula it was discovered only in 2011 by a French amateur
Heart of the Heart Nebula (Melotte 15)
Melotte 15 is the central region of the Heart Nebula (IC 1805), some 7,500 light years away from us. Melotte 15 is a relatively small open cluster of stars some 1.5 million years old, some of them 50-times more massive
Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237)
The Rosette Nebula is a symmetrically-shaped region of ionized hydrogen (HII region) located at an edge of a huge molecular cloud in the constellation of Monoceros. More formally it is denoted as Caldwell 49, and also NGC 2237 (which also
The Great Orion Nebula (M42)
The Orion Nebula (M42 or NGC 1976), the colorful giant, got the distinctive honor to be designated the number 42 in the Messier catalog. M42, looking like a fuzzy star, can be seen by the naked eye in the middle