Reflection Nebula in Cepheus
The beautiful blue color of this nebula is typical of reflection nebulae. In this case, the bright star in the center of the nebula is illuminating the dust that surrounds it. But there are also large areas of dust, especially farther from the star, that are not illuminated, and these are evident by the fact that no stars can be seen in these areas--the dust is too thick.
| Magnitude | 7.1 |
| Apparent Size | 5' |
| Distance (light yrs) | 1300 |
| Right Ascension | 21:01.6 |
| Declination | +68 10 |
| Field of View | 32' x 24' |
Image details: Exposure times of 54 minutes luminance, and 48 minutes each of red, green and blue, taken with an SBIG STF-8300M camera and a 14" Meade LX850 telescope at f/5.5.
September 2021