Ghost Nebula
The Ghost Nebula is a reflection nebula located
approximately 1,470 lightyears away and spanning 2 lightyears in length in the
constellation Cepheus. The nebula is part of a much larger nebulous region in
Cepheus. It lies at the edge of the Cepheus Flare molecular cloud. The Cepheus
Flare is a large star-forming region that also encompasses the nearby Iris
Nebula. The molecular cloud complex spans an area seven times the size of the
full Moon.
The Ghost Nebula is known as a Bok globule, a cloud of cold,
dense material with denser knots that can collapse and form new stars. Bok
globules typically produce binary and multiple star systems.
Catalogued as Bok globule CB230. It contains a star that is
still in the process of forming. The star’s presence is indicated by cones
swirling in opposite directions. The jets of material are carved and sculpted
by the wind, ultraviolet radiation, and disk of material swirling around the
young star. The class G star embedded within the dust cloud is believed to be a
binary star system. It is catalogued as BD+67 1300.
The Ghost Nebula is one of the several well-known
eerie-looking nebulae in the sky. It should not be confused with the Little
Ghost Nebula (NGC 6369), a planetary nebula in Ophiuchus, the Ghost of
Cassiopeia (IC 63), an emission nebula illuminated by the gigantic star Gamma
Cassiopeiae in the constellation Cassiopeia, and the Ghost Head Nebula (NGC
2080) a star-forming region within the larger Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic
Cloud in Dorado.
The Ghost Nebula is catalogued as VdB 141 in Dutch-Canadian
astronomer Sidney van den Bergh’s Catalog of Reflection Nebulae (1966) and as
Sh2-136 in the Sharpless catalogue of H II regions, published by the American
astronomer Stewart Sharpless in 1959.
The Ghost Nebula lies in the far northern sky near the
brighter Iris Nebula and the variable star Alfirk (Beta Cephei), the third
brightest point of light in the constellation Cepheus. Two other nebulae appear
in the same area, the dark nebula LDN 1177, and the bright nebula LBN 495.
The constellation figure of Cepheus is a stick house pattern appearing directly above the W of Cassiopeia. The house asterism is formed by five stars easily visible to the unaided eye. Alderamin, the brightest star in Cepheus, is found by extending a line from Schedar through Caph, the rightmost stars of the W. Alfirk is part of the house asterism. It is the brightest star between Alderamin and Polaris in Ursa Minor.
The brighter Iris Nebula lies along the imaginary line extended from Errai, the star at the top of the stick house, through Alfirk, and the Ghost Nebula is located a bit closer to the line connecting Alfirk and Alderamin.
For most observers in the northern hemisphere, the Ghost
Nebula is always high above the horizon because it is not too far from the
north celestial pole. It never rises for observers south of the latitude 22° S.
The best time of the year to observe the nebula is during
the month of November, when Cepheus rises high above the horizon in the evening
sky.
Ghost Nebula – LRGB
Data was acquired via a Remote Telescope located in Oria, Spain. Total integration time: 10 Hours 40 minutes (10m X 16 for each LRGB)
- Model: Officina Stellare 700 RC
- Aperture: 700 mm
- Focal Length: 5600 mm
- F-ratio: 8.0
- Mount: Officina Stellare equatorial fork mount with absolute encoders and direct drives
- Model: QHY 600M Pro
- Pixel Size: 3.76s μm
- Pixel Array: 9576 x 6382 pixels
- Native Pixel Resolution: 0.14 arcsec/pixel
- Cooling: -10 degrees in summer, -15 degrees in winter
- Field of View: 22 x 14.6 arcmin
- Filters: Astrodon Luminance, Red, Green, Blue, H-alpha, SII, OIII, Sloan r, Sloan g, Sloan i
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