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Rankings use category fit, feature coverage, pricing signals, public reception, and recency. Affiliate relationships do not affect scores.

0.0 - 10.0
Best 1 Pickering's Triangle (NGC 6979)

Pickering's Triangle, designated as NGC 6979, is a portion of the Cygnus Loop, a large supernova remnant in the constellation Cygnus. The filamentary structure was discovered photographically in 1904 by astronomer Williamina Fleming at the Harvard College Observatory under the direction of Edward Ch...

2 Ghost of Saturn Nebula

The Ghost of Saturn Nebula, designated NGC 7009, is a planetary nebula located in the constellation of Aquarius. English astronomer William Herschel discovered it in 1782, observing its distinct, roughly Saturn-like shape. The nebula is noted for its ansae, which are extensions of nebulosity flankin...

3 Squid Nebula

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...

4 Diamond Ring Nebula (Abell 33)

Abell 33, sometimes called the Diamond Ring Nebula, is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Hydra. The nebula appears almost perfectly spherical and is illuminated by a central white dwarf, the remnant of the original star. The "diamond ring" effect arises from the chance alignment of a f...

5 Flying Bat Nebula

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...

6 Shark Nebula

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...

7 Soap Bubble Nebula

The Soap Bubble Nebula is a delicate planetary nebula located within the constellation Cygnus. Formed from the expelled gases of a dying star, it’s notable for its unusual bubble-like shape resembling a soap bubble. Amateur astronomers like Dave Jurasevich discovered this faint object in 2007. It's...

8 Propeller Nebula (Simeis 57)

Simeis 57, commonly called the Propeller Nebula, is a distinctive HII region in Cygnus recognized by its twin opposing lobes of glowing gas.

9 Abell 85 (CTB 1)

Abell 85, also cataloged as CTB 1, is a faint supernova remnant in the Cassiopeia constellation, notable for its distinct, nearly perfectly circular optical structure.

10 Medusa Nebula

The Medusa Nebula (Abell 21) is a large planetary nebula located in the constellation Gemini, approximately 1,500 light-years from Earth. It was discovered by George O. Abell in 1955 and named for its filaments that resemble the snakes in Medusa's hair from Greek mythology. As an older planetary neb...

11 Simeis 147 (Spaghetti Nebula)

Simeis 147, also known as the Spaghetti Nebula or Sharpless 240, is a large, faint supernova remnant located in the constellations of Taurus and Auriga. It has an estimated age of approximately 40,000 years and a projected diameter of around 150 light-years, making it among the largest known superno...

12 Sh2-91
Sh2-91

Sh2-91 is a very faint emission nebula located in the northern constellation of Cygnus. It is classified as part of the Sharpless catalog and is specifically identified as the long southern filament of the supernova remnant designated G65.2+5.7. Because of its extremely low surface brightness, it is...

13 NGC 6072
NGC 6072

NGC 6072 is a planetary nebula located in the Scorpius constellation, notable for its striking, asymmetrical, ring-like structure formed by a dying star's gas.

14 Jones-Emberson 1

Jones-Emberson 1, commonly known as the Headphone Nebula, is a large and exceptionally faint planetary nebula located in the northern constellation of Lynx. It was discovered in 1939 by Rebecca Jones and Richard Emberson on photographic plates taken at the Harvard Observatory. Spanning about five ar...

15 RCW 114
RCW 114

RCW 114 is a large, filamentary nebula in Scorpius, notable as an evolved supernova-remnant candidate about four degrees wide.

16 Sharpless 2-274

Sharpless 2-274 is the Medusa Nebula, a large faint planetary nebula in Gemini first identified by George Abell in 1955.

17 HFG 1
HFG 1

HFG 1 is an old planetary nebula in Cassiopeia, shaped by the binary V664 Cas as it plows through interstellar gas and makes a bow shock.

18 Jones 1
Jones 1

Jones 1 is a faint planetary nebula in Pegasus discovered by American astronomer Rebecca Jones in 1941 and noted for its large apparent size.

19 Sharpless 2-290

Sharpless 2-290, also called Abell 31, is an ancient planetary nebula in Cancer, distinguished by its large, faint shell interacting with interstellar gas.

20 Soccer Ball Nebula (Kronberger 61)

The Soccer Ball Nebula is a faint planetary nebula in the Cygnus constellation, recognized for its spherical shape and discovery by amateur astronomer Matthias Kronberger in 2011.

Nebula Planetary Spherical Cygnus Faint Amateur Discovery
21 Spaghetti Nebula (Simeis 147)

The Spaghetti Nebula, cataloged as Simeis 147 or Sharpless 2-240, is a large and extremely faint supernova remnant located on the border between the constellations Taurus and Auriga. It was discovered in 1952 at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory and spans roughly 3 degrees, or about 6 light-year...

22 Witch Head Nebula (IC 2118)

The Witch Head Nebula, cataloged as IC 2118, is a faint reflection nebula located in the constellation Eridanus, roughly 900 light-years from Earth. It is composed of interstellar dust grains that reflect the light of nearby sources, most notably the blue supergiant star Rigel in the neighboring con...

23 Box Nebula (NGC 6309)

The Box Nebula is a distinctive planetary nebula located in the constellation Ophiuchus, recognized by its rectangular shape and discovered by Wilhelm Tempel.

24 Sharpless 2-261 (Sh2-261)

Sharpless 2-261, also known as Lower's Nebula, is a faint H II region in the Orion constellation, notable for its distinct, elongated shape formed by stellar winds.

25 Lower's Nebula (Sh2-261)

Lower's Nebula is an emission nebula located in the Orion constellation, notable for its discovery by father-and-son amateur astronomers Harold and Charles Lower in 1939.

26 Abell 21 (Medusa Nebula)

Abell 21, commonly called the Medusa Nebula, is a large, faint planetary nebula in the constellation Gemini. It consists of ionized gas expelled by a dying low-mass star, whose hot remnant illuminates the nebula as a central white dwarf. Its curved filaments suggested the snakes of the mythological...

27 IC 2162
IC 2162

IC 2162 is a dense cluster of young stars and emission nebulosity located in the Orion constellation, notable for its highly active, deeply embedded protostellar objects.

28 Prawn Nebula (IC 4628)

The Prawn Nebula, cataloged as IC 4628, is a large emission nebula and H II region located in the constellation Scorpius. Spanning roughly 250 light-years and situated about 6,000 light-years away from Earth, it is an area of active star formation. The nebula is almost entirely invisible to the unai...

29 Jones 1 (PK 104-29.1)

Jones 1 is an extremely faint planetary nebula in the Pegasus constellation, distinguished as the first such object discovered by astronomer Rebecca Jones in 1941.

30 Abell 36
Abell 36

Abell 36 is a faint planetary nebula located in the constellation Virgo, cataloged by astronomer George O. Abell in 1955. It is distinguished by its barrel-shaped structure, which represents the expelled outer layers of a dying star. Estimated to be approximately 10,000 years old, the nebula is ofte...

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