Nessie Nebula vdB 126
| Designation(s) | vdB 126 |
| Object Type(s) | Dark Nebula, Reflection Nebula |
| Relevant Catalog(s) | All (Chron) |
| Obs. Lat/Long | 42° 17', 073° 57' |
| Constellation | Vulpecula |
| Date and Time Observed | 2026-08-13 22:14:00 |
| Instrument | Seestar S30-pro f5.3-160mm |
| Camera | Seestar S-30 pro built-in SONY IMX585 Sensor |
| Image Details | Up is 0.2 degrees E of N. Transparency: Fair. Seeing: Good. Total integration time was 18m. Exposures 20s. Seestar standard pre-processing. |
| Description | The vdB catalog lists 159 reflection nebulae compiled by Canadian astronomer Sidney van den Bergh and published in 1966. Reflection nebulae are among the most challenging objects to see and image. The actual vdB 126 is the small blue bubble near the center of the image. There's a second bubble around the double star to the right. The actual "Nessie" name refers principally to the shape of the dark nebula overlaid on a portion of the milky way. The "classic" Nessie (Loch Ness Monster) description is a tiny head attached to a long curved neck, with two humps sticking out of the water. This is "unlikely" in that there was smoke in the air at the time which should have made capturing the faint blue reflections impossible. Certainly in only 18 minutes, and most likely (because of progressive degradation from smoke) at all. This image underwent fairly heroic manipulation in Affinity Photo to bring it out. |
| Catalog Links | All Listings |
