vdB22 — Merope Nebula
Reflection Nebula in Taurus
About
The Merope Nebula, also NGC 1435, is a reflection nebula inside the Pleiades, about 440 light-years away. Only the star Merope lights it, and that star sits within the nebula. Tempel discovered it in 1859 with a 10.5 cm refractor.
Imaging tips
- About 30′ across: 810–1350 mm on APS-C. M45 is 16.6′ away and vdB23 18.2′ away, both in the same field.
- Its brightness starts near magnitude 13 and drops about fifteen-fold, leaving most of the nebula fainter than magnitude 16; a broadband filter set suits a reflection nebula.
- The bright knot IC 349, half an arcminute across, is nearly lost in Merope's glare. One imager caught it in 60 minutes total at 2,800 mm with no filter.
- One imager combined 2 hours of luminance with 30 minutes each of red, green and blue.
- Best around November and December; it peaks near 64° altitude from 50°N.
Facts
- Size
- 30′
- Magnitude
- —
- Coordinates
- RA 3h 46.3m, Dec +23° 57′
- Framing, APS-C
- 810–1350 mm
- Framing, full frame
- 1240–2060 mm
- Best months
- Nov, Dec
- Peak altitude
- 64° from 50°N, 79° from 35°N
Nearby
- M45 (Pleiades) · 16.6′ away
- vdB23 · 18.2′ away
- vdB20 · 22.1′ away
- vdB21 · 26.0′ away