Nebulae

433 CATALOGUED

Clouds of gas and dust: the places stars are born, and the wreckage they leave when they die.

RANKED LISTS
Brightest▸
Lower Sword — apparent magnitude 2.50 (V)
TOP 50
PRIMER — 60 SECONDS

Four kinds

Emission nebulae glow because young stars ionise them. Reflection nebulae only scatter starlight. Dark nebulae block what is behind them. Supernova remnants are debris still expanding.

The planetary nebula misnomer

Nothing to do with planets — eighteenth-century telescopes made these shed stellar atmospheres look like planetary disks, and the name stuck.

[

THE FAMOUS ONES

] 12 ENTRIES
NAME
CLASS
MASS
DISTANCE
MAG
CONSTELLATION
Carina Nebula★
H II region
—
8500 ly
3.00 B
Carina
Great Orion Nebula★
Nebula with cluster
—
1344 ly
4.00 V
Orion
North America Nebula★
H II region
—
—
4.00 B
Cygnus
Lagoon Nebula★
Nebula
—
4100 ly
5.80 V
Sagittarius
Eagle Nebula★
Nebula
—
7000 ly
6.00 V
Serpens
Checkmark Nebula★
Nebula
—
5500 ly
7.00 V
Sagittarius
Helix Nebula★
Planetary nebula
—
655.0 ly
7.30 V
Aquarius
Dumbbell Nebula★
Planetary nebula
—
1360 ly
7.40 V
Vulpecula
M78★
Reflection nebula
—
—
8.00 V
Orion
Crab Nebula★
Supernova remnant
—
6500 ly
8.40 V
Taurus
Trifid Nebula★
Nebula
—
4100 ly
8.50 V
Sagittarius
Ring Nebula★
Planetary nebula
—
2570 ly
8.80 V
Lyra
ALL CLASSESPLANETARY NEBULA · 130NEBULA · 94H II REGION · 83NEBULA WITH CLUSTER · 67REFLECTION NEBULA · 38SUPERNOVA REMNANT · 11EMISSION NEBULA · 8DARK NEBULA · 2
BY CONSTELLATION · 56 REGIONS
DORADO · 67SAGITTARIUS · 35ORION · 34CYGNUS · 27MONOCEROS · 22CARINA · 20TAURUS · 17CEPHEUS · 16SCORPIUS · 14CASSIOPEIA · 13URSA MAJOR · 12AQUILA · 11PERSEUS · 10TRIANGULUM · 9AURIGA · 7CENTAURUS · 7VULPECULA · 7COMA BERENICES · 6MENSA · 6OPHIUCHUS · 6ARA · 5CORONA AUSTRALIS · 5PUPPIS · 5TUCANA · 5VELA · 5CANIS MAJOR · 4GEMINI · 4LUPUS · 4MUSCA · 4CAMELOPARDALIS · 3HERCULES · 3HYDRA · 3SAGITTA · 3AQUARIUS · 2CHAMAELEON · 2DELPHINUS · 2DRACO · 2ERIDANUS · 2LYRA · 2NORMA · 2PYXIS · 2SCUTUM · 2SERPENS · 2TRIANGULUM AUSTRALE · 2ANDROMEDA · 1CETUS · 1CIRCINUS · 1CORVUS · 1CRUX · 1FORNAX · 1GRUS · 1LACERTA · 1LEPUS · 1PEGASUS · 1TELESCOPIUM · 1VIRGO · 1
NAME▲
CLASS
MASS
DISTANCE
MAG
CONSTELLATION
IC 3563
H II region
—
—
—
Coma Berenices
IC 3568
Planetary nebula
—
8930 ly
10.60 V
Camelopardalis
IC 359A
Reflection nebula
—
—
—
Taurus
IC 360
Nebula
—
—
—
Taurus
IC 410
Nebula
—
—
—
Auriga
IC 417
H II region
—
—
—
Auriga
IC 418
Planetary nebula
—
—
9.44 V
Lepus
IC 4191
Planetary nebula
—
8816 ly
10.60 V
Musca
IC 420
Nebula
—
—
—
Orion
IC 423
Nebula
—
—
—
Orion
IC 424
Nebula
—
—
—
Orion
IC 426
Nebula
—
—
—
Orion
IC 427
Nebula
—
—
—
Orion
IC 428
Nebula
—
—
—
Orion
IC 429
Nebula
—
—
—
Orion
IC 430
Nebula
—
—
14.40 V
Orion
IC 431
Reflection nebula
—
—
—
Orion
IC 432
Reflection nebula
—
—
—
Orion
IC 435
Reflection nebula
—
—
—
Orion
IC 4406
Planetary nebula
—
7766 ly
10.20 V
Lupus
IC 444
Reflection nebula
—
—
7.03 B
Gemini
IC 446
Nebula with cluster
—
—
—
Monoceros
IC 447
H II region
—
—
7.70 B
Monoceros
IC 448
H II region
—
—
—
Monoceros
IC 4591
H II region
—
—
—
Scorpius
IC 4592
Reflection nebula
—
—
3.90 B
Scorpius
IC 4593
Planetary nebula
—
10 519 ly
10.70 V
Hercules
IC 4599
Planetary nebula
—
—
12.40 B
Scorpius
IC 4601
Nebula
—
—
—
Scorpius
IC 4603
Nebula
—
—
—
Ophiuchus
IC 4605
Nebula
—
—
4.70 B
Scorpius
IC 4628
Nebula
—
—
—
Scorpius
IC 4634
Planetary nebula
—
12 798 ly
10.90 V
Ophiuchus
IC 4637
Planetary nebula
—
7815 ly
12.50 V
Scorpius
IC 4642
Planetary nebula
—
9804 ly
13.40 B
Ara
IC 466
H II region
—
—
12.06 V
Monoceros
IC 4663
Planetary nebula
—
11 308 ly
12.50 V
Scorpius
IC 4670
Planetary nebula
—
—
13.28 V
Sagittarius
IC 4673
Planetary nebula
—
10 502 ly
13.00 V
Sagittarius
IC 4678
Nebula
—
—
10.40 B
Sagittarius
IC 4684
Reflection nebula
—
—
—
Sagittarius
IC 4685
Nebula
—
—
—
Sagittarius
IC 4699
Planetary nebula
—
25 088 ly
13.00 V
Telescopium
IC 4701
Nebula
—
—
—
Sagittarius
IC 4703
Nebula
—
—
6.00 V
Serpens
IC 4706
Nebula
—
—
—
Sagittarius
IC 4707
Nebula
—
—
—
Sagittarius
IC 4732
Planetary nebula
—
22 182 ly
12.10 V
Sagittarius
IC 4776
Planetary nebula
—
16 197 ly
10.80 V
Sagittarius
IC 4812
Nebula
—
—
—
Corona Australis
IC 4846
Planetary nebula
—
—
11.90 V
Aquila
IC 4954
H II region
—
—
—
Vulpecula
IC 4955
Nebula
—
—
12.98 B
Vulpecula
IC 4997
Planetary nebula
—
—
10.50 V
Sagitta
IC 5068
H II region
—
—
—
Cygnus
IC 5076
Reflection nebula
—
—
—
Cygnus
IC 5117
Planetary nebula
—
—
11.50 V
Cygnus
IC 5132
Nebula
—
—
—
Cepheus
IC 5133
Nebula
—
—
—
Cepheus
IC 5134
Nebula
—
—
—
Cepheus
IC 5148
Planetary nebula
—
3483 ly
11.00 V
Grus
IC 5217
Planetary nebula
—
17 511 ly
11.30 V
Lacerta
IC 59
Reflection nebula
—
—
—
Cassiopeia
IC 63
H II region
—
—
13.33 B
Cassiopeia
IC 972
Planetary nebula
—
8115 ly
13.90 V
Virgo
Iris Nebula
Nebula
—
—
7.20 B
Cepheus
Jupiter's Ghost Nebula
Planetary nebula
—
3568 ly
7.70 V
Hydra
Lagoon Nebula★
Nebula
—
4100 ly
5.80 V
Sagittarius
Little Gem
Planetary nebula
—
4501 ly
11.20 V
Sagittarius
Little Gem Nebula
Planetary nebula
—
6703 ly
9.30 V
Sagittarius
Little Ghost Nebula
Planetary nebula
—
3552 ly
11.40 V
Ophiuchus
Lower Sword
Nebula with cluster
—
—
2.50 V
Orion
M78★
Reflection nebula
—
—
8.00 V
Orion
Maia Nebula
H II region
—
—
—
Taurus
Mairan's Nebula
H II region
—
—
9.00 V
Orion
Merope Nebula
Nebula
—
—
—
Taurus
Monkey Head Nebula
Nebula
—
—
—
Orion
NGC 1333
Nebula with cluster
—
—
10.90 B
Perseus
NGC 1360
Planetary nebula
—
1145 ly
9.40 V
Fornax
NGC 1491
H II region
—
—
—
Perseus
NGC 1501
Planetary nebula
—
3806 ly
11.50 V
Camelopardalis
NGC 1514
Planetary nebula
—
2479 ly
10.19 V
Taurus
NGC 1535
Planetary nebula
—
7518 ly
9.60 V
Eridanus
NGC 1579
Nebula with cluster
—
—
—
Perseus
NGC 1624
Nebula with cluster
—
—
11.80 V
Perseus
NGC 1714
Nebula with cluster
—
—
11.61 V
Dorado
NGC 1715
Emission nebula
—
—
—
Dorado
NGC 1722
Nebula with cluster
—
—
—
Dorado
NGC 1727
Nebula with cluster
—
—
—
Dorado
NGC 1736
Emission nebula
—
—
15.50 B
Dorado
NGC 1737
H II region
—
—
—
Dorado
NGC 1743
Nebula
—
—
11.26 V
Dorado
NGC 1745
Nebula
—
—
13.40 V
Dorado
NGC 1748
Nebula
—
—
12.30 V
Dorado
NGC 1760
H II region
—
—
—
Dorado
NGC 1763
Nebula with cluster
—
—
9.40 V
Dorado
NGC 1769
Emission nebula
—
—
—
Dorado
NGC 1770
Nebula with cluster
—
—
—
Dorado
NGC 1773
Nebula
—
—
—
Dorado
NGC 1788
Reflection nebula
—
—
5.80 B
Orion