Nebulae Images
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de Peiresc. Located at a distance of about
1,600 (or perhaps 1,500) light years, the
Orion Nebula is the brightest diffuse nebula
in the sky, visible to the naked eye, and
rewarding in telescopes of every size, from
the smallest glasses to the greatest
Earth-bound observatories and the Hubble
Space Telescope.
1,600 LY
In Orion
f/3.3 DSI
01/23/2006
globule of dust and non-luminous gas,
obscuring the light coming from behind,
especially the moderately bright nebula
IC 434. It is the most remarkable
feature of an interesting region of
diffuse nebulae, which belongs to a
huge cloud of gas and dust situated
1,600 light years away in the direction
of constellation Orion
IC 434
1,600 LY Distance
In Orion DSI f3.3
2/11/2005
to be discovered (in January 1779), 15
years after the first one, M27. Antoine
Darquier de Pellepoix (Darquier), who
discovered the Ring Nebula only a few
days before Charles Messier found and
cataloged it, described it as "a dull
nebula, but perfectly outlined; as large
as Jupiter and looks like a fading
planet."
M57
2,300 LY Distance
In Lyra DSI f3.3
4/05/2005
John Bevis.
The Crab Nebula is the most famous and
conspicuous known supernova remnant, the
expanding cloud of gas created in the explosion of
a star as supernova which was observed in the
year 1054 AD.
The supernova was noted on July 4, 1054 A.D. by
Chinese astronomers as a new or "guest star,"
and was about four times brighter than Venus, or
about mag -6. According to the records, it was
visible in daylight for 23 days, and 653 days to the
naked eye in the night sky.
M1
6,500 LY Distance
In Taurus DSI f3.3
1/27/2006
fainter objects in Messier's catalog,
discovered by Pierre Méchain on
February 16, 1781.
M97
Mag 9.9
12,000 LY Distance
In Ursa Major
4/05/2005
William Herschel on September 7, 1782
The distance of the Saturn Nebula is not known
very acurately. Hynes gives 2,400 light-years
(adopted here), the Sky Catalogue 2000.0
about 2,900, and Burnham adopts O'Dell's
(1963) estimate of 3,900 ly.
NGC 7009
Mag 8.0
Constellation Aquarius
6/18/05
on January 17, 1787
The nebula has a visual brightness of 9.1 mag,
while it is only 9.9 mag photographically. The
central star, cataloged as HD 59088, is of visual
magnitude 10.5 and spectral type O7f, and thus
seen quite easily by visual observers. Its distance
is not very well known, and estimated sometimes
at some 3,000 light years.
NGC 2392
Mag 9.9
Constellation Gemini
04/17/2005
nebula on February 7, 1785
The nebula has a visual brightness of 7.7 mag,
while it is only 8.6 mag photographically. The
central star, cataloged as HD 90255 and is of
visual magnitude 12.1. Its distance is not
wellknown, but estimated at some 2,500 light
years; another estimate is about 1,400 light
years.
NGC 3242
Mag 9
Constellation Draco
04/07/2005
The Dumbbell Nebula M27 was the first
planetary nebula ever discovered. On July 12,
1764.
As for most planetary nebulae, the distance of
M27 (and thus true dimension and intrinsic
luminosity) is not very well known. Hynes gives
about 800, Kenneth Glyn Jones 975,
Mallas/Kreimer 1250 light years
Mag 7.4
07/13/2005
Constellation Vulpecula