B147
Dark Nebula in Cygnus
About
In Cygnus, near the open cluster NGC 6871, this dust cloud stretches into a thin winding lane that looks like a snake against the stars. It is also catalogued as LDN 853, with B146 close by.
Imaging tips
- A dark nebula shows only as a gap against the star field, so shoot broadband.
- Wikipedia gives its size as about 11′, so a long focal length suits it better than a wide lens.
- One imager's LRGB frame (4 × 10 min luminance, 2 × 10 min each colour) shows red Cygnus emission and blue dust-lit areas around the dark lane. That page notes some images label a different dark band as B147.
- The open cluster NGC 6871 lies nearby and can share a wide frame.
- Best in July and August; it passes almost overhead from 50°N, peaking near 75°.
Facts
- Size
- 11′
- Magnitude
- —
- Coordinates
- RA 20h 7.0m, Dec +35° 13′
- Framing, APS-C
- 2200–3670 mm
- Framing, full frame
- 3380–5630 mm
- Best months
- Jul, Aug
- Peak altitude
- 75° from 50°N, 90° from 35°N