B168
Dark Nebula in Cygnus
About
A long dark lane of dust in Cygnus that trails west from IC 5146, the Cocoon Nebula, whose distance is given as roughly 2,500 to 4,000 light-years. The infrared-dark cloud forming this tail is a place where young stars are found.
Imaging tips
- It stretches far beyond a tight frame: 130–220 mm on APS-C (210–340 mm full frame) suits the whole lane.
- The Cocoon Nebula sits only about 3′ away, so it shares the field with the dust.
- Dust shows only against the star field, so shoot broadband. One imager used 27 × 12 min luminance and 9 × 12 min per colour.
- Best in August and September; it passes almost overhead, near 87° altitude from 50°N.
Facts
- Size
- 180′ × 25′
- Magnitude
- —
- Coordinates
- RA 21h 53.3m, Dec +47° 16′
- Framing, APS-C
- 130–220 mm
- Framing, full frame
- 210–340 mm
- Best months
- Aug, Sep
- Peak altitude
- 87° from 50°N, 78° from 35°N
Nearby
- Sh2-125 (Cocoon Nebula) · 1.9′ away
- C19 (Cocoon Nebula) · 3.1′ away
- H-NGC7209 · 127.7′ away
- vdB145 · 137.0′ away