Paul Alsing
January 11th, 2021, 10:42 PM
Monoceros - Reflection Nebula
R.A.: 06h31m00.0s Dec.: +09°54'00"
Size: 25.0'
Well-placed at this time of the year, IC 2169 = IC 447, also known as Dreyer’s Nebula, is a very large diffuse reflection nebula in Monoceros, very close to the much larger and more well-known complex that encompasses the Cone Nebula, the Fox Fur Nebula, the Christmas Tree Cluster, and the variable star S Monoceros. As such, IC 2169 just does not get the attention that it deserves! Here is the April 12th, 2007 APOD (https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070412.html) of the whole area…
4165
… and IC 2169 is the much smaller blue area on the right-hand side of the photo. Although faint, IC 2169 is still an interesting object to view, and with a long dimension of about 25’ it is almost as tall as the full moon! The brightness of the reflection nebula varies quite a bit over its irregularly-shaped surface, but only very delicately, with no sharp edges that I could detect. Here is a copy/paste from my SkyTools (https://skyhound.com/) program, along with a cropped photo by Ken Walker (https://www.stellarvue.com/stellarblog/ic-2167-ic-2169-ken-walker/) that is approximately the same area…
4166
… and there is a 30 arc-minute circle on the chart for reference so you can get an idea about the various distances involved with the field.
There are a couple of small dark nebulae within IC 2169’s boundaries that make a triangle with a nice double star (A 2816 on the chart, 1.6” sep) and even a tiny open cluster, Alessi 14, just outside the nebulosity.
As you can see, there are several other nebulae within a degree or so, including IC 446 = IC 2167, NGC 2245, and NGC 2247 around the variable star V700 Mon. All of these are bright enough to view through telescopes of all sizes and you can spend a lot of time in this area just cruising around and enjoying an area of the sky that is mostly overlooked.
As always, give it a go and let us know.
R.A.: 06h31m00.0s Dec.: +09°54'00"
Size: 25.0'
Well-placed at this time of the year, IC 2169 = IC 447, also known as Dreyer’s Nebula, is a very large diffuse reflection nebula in Monoceros, very close to the much larger and more well-known complex that encompasses the Cone Nebula, the Fox Fur Nebula, the Christmas Tree Cluster, and the variable star S Monoceros. As such, IC 2169 just does not get the attention that it deserves! Here is the April 12th, 2007 APOD (https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070412.html) of the whole area…
4165
… and IC 2169 is the much smaller blue area on the right-hand side of the photo. Although faint, IC 2169 is still an interesting object to view, and with a long dimension of about 25’ it is almost as tall as the full moon! The brightness of the reflection nebula varies quite a bit over its irregularly-shaped surface, but only very delicately, with no sharp edges that I could detect. Here is a copy/paste from my SkyTools (https://skyhound.com/) program, along with a cropped photo by Ken Walker (https://www.stellarvue.com/stellarblog/ic-2167-ic-2169-ken-walker/) that is approximately the same area…
4166
… and there is a 30 arc-minute circle on the chart for reference so you can get an idea about the various distances involved with the field.
There are a couple of small dark nebulae within IC 2169’s boundaries that make a triangle with a nice double star (A 2816 on the chart, 1.6” sep) and even a tiny open cluster, Alessi 14, just outside the nebulosity.
As you can see, there are several other nebulae within a degree or so, including IC 446 = IC 2167, NGC 2245, and NGC 2247 around the variable star V700 Mon. All of these are bright enough to view through telescopes of all sizes and you can spend a lot of time in this area just cruising around and enjoying an area of the sky that is mostly overlooked.
As always, give it a go and let us know.