Best Cepheus
Delta Cephei is a bright supergiant star within the Cepheus constellation. It’s notable as the original prototype for Cepheid variable stars, identified by John Goodricke in 1784. Its consistent brightness fluctuations are crucial for astronomers to determine distances across vast stretches of space...
The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula, formally IC 1396A, is a dark emission nebula located in the Cepheus constellation approximately 2,400 light-years from Earth. It's notable for containing a dense globule of gas and dust where infrared observations reveal nascent stars actively forming. Astronomers and re...
The Iris Nebula, formally NGC 7023, is a stunning reflection nebula located within the Cepheus constellation. It’s notable for its vibrant colors produced by light reflecting off interstellar dust and gas. This nebula was first observed in 1794 by William Herschel and is illuminated by the young st...
The Squid Nebula, formally designated OU4, is a faint emission nebula located within the Cepheus OB Association. It’s recognized by its distinctive bipolar outflow structure, resembling a squid's tentacle. This outflow, rich in oxygen emissions, extends over one degree and is associated with several...
NGC 7822 is a vibrant emission nebula located within the Cepheus constellation. It’s notable for its active star formation regions including the Sharpless 171 dark cloud and the open cluster Berkeley 59. These areas are illuminated by intense radiation from young, hot stars. Astronomers studying ste...
The Bow-Tie Nebula, formally NGC 40, resides within the Cepheus constellation. This compact planetary nebula was first observed by William Herschel in 1788. It’s notable for its distinctive bow shape created by a rapidly evolving carbon star at its center. Astronomers and amateur astronomers interes...
Ou4 represents a significant bipolar emission nebula situated within the Sh2-129 star formation region of the Cepheus constellation. This outflow, first observed in 2011 by amateur astronomer Nicolas Outters, is notable for its distinct twin jets extending outwards from a central source. Astronomers...
NGC 7023, commonly known as the Iris Nebula, is a bright reflection nebula located in the constellation Cepheus. The surrounding dust clouds reflect the blue light of the central star, HD 200775. It is a popular target for amateur astrophotographers due to its distinct blue coloration and surroundin...
The Wizard Nebula, formally designated SH2-142, is an emission nebula notable for its intricate structure resembling a wizard's hat. Located within the Cepheus star cluster NGC 7380, it’s characterized by high hydrogen ionization lines (HII). Astronomers and amateur observers interested in stellar n...
Sh2-129, also known as the Flying Bat Nebula, is a significant emission nebula located within the Cepheus OB2 association. This region exhibits a distinctive bipolar outflow, designated Ou4, driven by intense star formation. It’s notable for its complex structure and is primarily observed using wide...
The Ghost Nebula, cataloged as vdB 141, is a reflection nebula in the constellation Cepheus. It consists of interstellar dust that becomes visible by scattering light from nearby stars, with dense clouds and irregular illuminated structures producing its ghostlike appearance in long-exposure images....
The Dark Shark Nebula, identified as LDN 1235, is a dark molecular cloud within the Cepheus constellation. It’s notable for its dense dust composition and association with reflection nebulae vdB 149 and vdB 150. Astronomers and researchers studying star formation, interstellar clouds, and galactic s...
The Flying Bat Nebula, also known as SH2-129, is a diffuse emission nebula located in the Cepheus constellation. It’s recognized for its faint glow and association with the nearby Sharpless Object Ou4, commonly called the Squid Nebula. This region represents an active star formation zone rich in ion...
IC 1396 is a large emission nebula and H II region in the constellation Cepheus, located approximately 2,400 light-years from Earth. It is a site of active star formation containing several bright-rimmed globules, the most prominent being the Elephant Trunk Nebula, a dark column of gas and dust desi...
The Shark Nebula, designated LDN 1235, is a dark molecular cloud located in the constellation Cepheus. It appears as a silhouette against the background star field, with a shape that resembles a shark, hence its common name. The nebula is included in the Lynds Catalogue of Dark Nebulae, a compilatio...
Mu Cephei, historically known as Herschel's Garnet Star, is a massive red supergiant located in the constellation Cepheus. Visible to the naked eye, it is easily identified by its distinct deep red or garnet-colored hue. It is classified as a semiregular variable star, with its apparent magnitude fl...
The Cave Nebula, officially Sh2-155, is a diffuse emission nebula located within the Cepheus OB3 star cluster. It’s notable for its intricate internal structure resembling a cave, created by intense ultraviolet radiation from young, hot stars. This region is classified as a H II region and a Caldwel...
The Ghost Nebula, formally Sh2-136 or vdB 141, is a stunning reflection nebula located within the Cepheus constellation. It’s notable for its ethereal appearance created by starlight reflecting off dense dust clouds. These nebulae often contain nascent stars forming within them. Astronomers and amat...
Sh2-155, also known as the Cave Nebula, is a dark emission nebula located within the Cepheus B cloud approximately 2,400 light-years from Earth. This Caldwell 9 H II region exhibits ongoing star formation and displays a distinctive cave-like structure due to dense dust clouds. Astronomers and resear...
Barnard 150, commonly referred to as the Seahorse Nebula, is a dark nebula located in the constellation Cepheus. It appears as a prominent, roughly one-degree-long filament of dense cosmic dust and molecular gas that obscures the light from background stars. The nebula is part of a larger complex of...
The Seahorse Nebula, catalogued as Barnard 150, is a dark nebula in the constellation Cepheus. It appears as a long, sinuous silhouette because its cold interstellar dust blocks visible light from the dense background of Milky Way stars. The cloud contains several denser condensations associated wit...
The Elephant's Trunk Nebula, designated IC 1396A, is an elongated concentration of gas and dust within the much larger IC 1396 emission region in the constellation Cepheus. Radiation and stellar winds from nearby massive stars illuminate and erode the cloud, producing its pillar-like outline. Dense...
The Lion Nebula, catalogued as Sharpless 2-132, is a large emission nebula and H II region in the constellation Cepheus. Its gas is energized by ultraviolet radiation from massive hot stars, including Wolf-Rayet and OB-type stars, producing the ionized hydrogen emission commonly recorded in deep-sky...
VV Cephei is an eclipsing binary system in the constellation Cepheus composed of a very large, cool M-type supergiant and a hotter B-type companion. The two stars orbit each other roughly every 20.3 years, and eclipses last many months because the supergiant has an enormous extended atmosphere. Mate...
Sh2-132, commonly known as the Lion Nebula, is a large emission and diffuse nebula located in the constellation Cepheus. It is situated within the Cep OB1 stellar association, an active region of star formation. The nebula's complex gas structures are partly ionized by highly luminous Wolf-Rayet sta...
Sh2-171, also catalogued as NGC 7822, is a vast emission nebula and star-forming complex located in the constellation Cepheus. The region was systematically catalogued by astronomer Stewart Sharpless in his 1959 survey of H II regions. It is distinguished by its intricate structures of glowing gas a...
RW Cephei is an orange hypergiant star located in the constellation Cepheus. It is classified as an irregular variable star and ranks among the largest known stars in the Milky Way, with an estimated radius exceeding 1,500 times that of the Sun. The star's substantial size and mass place it near the...
The Iris Nebula (NGC 7023) is a bright reflection nebula located approximately 1,300 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cepheus. It is illuminated by the hot young star HD 200775, with the star's light reflecting off surrounding dust grains to create the nebula's distinctive blue coloration...
Sh2-136, commonly known as the Ghost Nebula, is a reflection nebula and Bok globule located in the constellation Cepheus. Cataloged as vdB 141 and CB230, the interstellar cloud spans over 2 light-years and is characterized by its diffuse, ghostly appearance with several small, dark clumps of dust si...
